Koolhof/Skupski Seal Opening Win
Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski quickly found their range in their opening match at the Nitto ATP Finals on Monday, when they moved past Australians Rinky Hijikata and Jason Kubler 6-3, 6-4.
The Dutch-British team reached the semi-finals in Turin 12 months ago and will be looking to go further this week as they chase their third trophy of the year. In their first Red Group match, they won 87 per cent (34/39) of their first-serve points to advance after 81 minutes.
With their victory, they gained revenge against Hijikata and Kubler, who defeated Koolhof and Skupski en route to the Australian Open title in January.
Koolhof and Skupski are looking to rediscover their best form at the Pala Alpitour, having lost before the semi-final stage at their past three events. Earlier this year they lifted trophies at Wimbledon and in ‘s-Hertogenbosch.
Koolhof has fond memories of competing at the Nitto ATP Finals, having won the title with Nikola Mektic in 2020. Skupski is making his second appearance at the year-end event.
Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden and defending champions Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury are also in Red Group and face off in the evening session.