Harrison, Skupski take AO doubles crown as Aussies fall at final hurdle

(Getty/William West)

Christian Harrison and Neal Skupski have emerged victorious in the men's doubles final, ending the dream run of Australian wildcards Jason Kubler and Marc Polmans with a 7-6 (4) 6-4 victory.

"Unreal experience. This place is unreal to play. The crowds are incredible," noted Harrison.

"For me, though, it was just simple. Just focused on enjoying the moment with my partner. He brings a lot of experience. His level is just so high, and it really felt easy for me to just play my best tennis. So credit to him."

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There were some special moments on court after the match, with Harrison hugging his brother Ryan (former French Open doubles champion who was commentating on the event), who was in tears, and Skupski embracing his brother Ken, who coached the pair during the tournament.

"I could see that he was emotional, and it always lets me know how much support I have in the family. I remember I was with my dad, like I said, when Ryan won his French Open. My dad couldn't even speak for hours, and I never really seen him get that emotional over a tennis match that we had won," said Harrison.

"So it felt like, you know, it's a big team. And Neal, with his brother here, it's the same exact way. We share those moments together, because without each other, it wouldn't even be possible for Neal and I."

Kubler and Polmans were circumspect after the loss, acknowledging the incredible tournament that they had over the past two weeks.

"I think all four of us actually played a good match. I think the thing about doubles, it comes down to just such small things. Both of them served so well, especially Christian. Maybe there were situations where we could have made a few more first serves in the slower conditions with the roof shut," said Kubler.

"It is disappointing, but I think we've had a great two weeks. We weren't expecting anything like this. To end up losing in the final, we are pretty proud of that."

"It's been an epic roller coaster these last two weeks with Jason," added Polmans. "It's been some tough matches, some tough moments, but he's a hell of a guy, and I wouldn't do it with anyone else. Never thought I'd be playing in the Grand Sam final in the packed stadium with one of my closest buddies. I actually got a little emotional in the on-court interview. I didn't expect that."

For both Kubler and Polmans, this has been a memorable tournament, with Polmans reaching his first Grand Slam final and Kubler combining his doubles success with qualifying in singles and his fiancée Maddison Inglis reaching the fourth round in singles.

The First Serve asked the pair to summarise their favourite moments from the tournament.

"It would have to be the quarter-finals," said Polmans. "I was so surprised that I was in the quarter-finals, and then when I hit that volley and the ball bounced twice, I don't think I could explain that emotion when we reached the semi-finals. To do it at home, that's the cherry on top."

Kubler added: "When I qualified and then Maddy got through her singles maybe 20 minutes later, I thought that's as good as it gets."

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