Interesting that BOTH Skupskis are playing this week but in different locations. I am assuming this is just a logistical thing with Neal already being in the USA.

Given the logistics etc, good partners to have in Junaid and Nicholas Monroe - the latter's had some decent results this year on US hard courts.

-- Edited by Spectator on Monday 4th of April 2016 12:47:55 AM

QF:  (2) Rameez Junaid (AUS) & Ken Skupski CR 149 (72+77) defeated Mateusz Kowalcyzk & Adam Majchrowicz (POL/POL) CR 331 (95+236) by 3-6 4-4 default - not complaining, but  

******

SF:  Gero Kretschmer & Alexander Satschko (GER/GER) CR 197 (98+99) vs (2) Rameez Junaid (AUS) & Ken Skupski CR 149 (72+77)

Quite comical really, bit of a dive in my opinion

You can't batter a ball down the other end and hit a player, even with no intent, and stay in the match - and the guy's partners reaction showed he knew it.
Did look an over-reaction though, it's easy to see why Junaid went down, that would happen out of shock as much as anything, but I can't imagine that it hit him so hard that it warranted him staying down that long. I'm not volunteering to take one on the back of my head to test it though!

Hmmm.....hitting anyone, official, player or spectator with a ball outside of play is a strict default offence and usually treated as one, regardless of intent.  However, I would question whether it was really outside of play.  The fault was called as the return was on its way back and he was already shaping up for his next shot which he hit but without full intensity.  You see all players do that multiple times in every set.  Unfortunate that it caught the opponent on the back of the head causing temporary loss of balance.  I suppose he should have been looking where he was hitting it as he knew by that time it was not a live shot.

Sorry Optimist I am not having any of that.. when you hear the shout you just stop swinging or change your swing path so it doesn't happen!