Salisbury and Skupski advance to ATP Finals final
Neal Skupski reaches his first Nitto ATP Finals championship match alongside Joe Salisbury, who chases a third title after a gritty semifinal win over the year-end No. 1 duo.
In the high-stakes arena of Turin's Pala Alpitour, Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski turned a season of close calls into a semifinal breakthrough, defeating Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool 6-7(3), 6-3, 10-8. The British pair, seeded fifth, absorbed early pressure and struck back with precision on the fast indoor hard courts, securing their spot in Sunday's final after 91 minutes of probing exchanges. Salisbury, now riding a 14-match winning streak at the Nitto ATP Finals, guided his partner through the tension, positioning them one victory from ending 2025 with silverware.
First set hangs on tie-break aggression
The opener unfolded with serves holding firm, offering just one break point amid crosscourt rallies that tested footing on the slick surface. Cash and Glasspool, who clinched Year-End ATP Doubles No. 1 presented by PIF honors this week after a season of seven titles, seized control in the tie-break with bullet returns down-the-line, converting their proactive edges into a 7-6(3) lead. Salisbury and Skupski stayed composed at the net, their volleys slicing through the crowd's building murmurs, but the set highlighted how the indoor pace rewarded aggressive returns over steady baseline play.
Skupski, experiencing this championship stage for the first time, leaned on his partner's experience—Salisbury triumphed here in 2022 and 2023 with Rajeev Ram, the 33-year-old missing last year's event entirely. The duo's resilience shone as they traded inside-out forehands, refusing to let the top seeds' momentum snowball. This tight exchange set a psychological foundation, with the Pala Alpitour's lights casting sharp shadows over every point, underscoring the mental grind of a matchup where little separated the teams.
Second set break swings the tide
Salisbury and Skupski pounced early in the second, snatching a break with an underspin backhand that forced Glasspool deep and shifted the energy palpably. From there, they won 94 percent of first-serve points, their low-bouncing deliveries exploiting the hard court's true bounce to pin opponents back. Cash and Glasspool struggled to counter the one–two combinations, their higher-risk patterns faltering as the Brits consolidated with crosscourt winners that echoed through the arena.
The pivot felt earned after a 46-21 season marked by finals at Roland Garros and the US Open, yet no titles to claim. Skupski's poaching instincts sharpened, turning passing shots into overhead smashes that released the tension of those near-misses. Salisbury's flat-hitting precision adapted seamlessly to the surface, easing the fifth seeds into a 6-3 hold and transforming seasonal frustration into focused resolve amid the crowd's rising cheers.
Nervy super-tiebreak secures the final
The decider's 10-8 super-tiebreak turned into a pressure cooker, with mini-breaks traded on errant lobs and precise down-the-line returns skimming the lines. Salisbury and Skupski used slice lobs to disrupt net rushes, their composure guiding them through the nerves as the top seeds pushed hard. The victory, while tactical, carried emotional weight, peeling back layers of a year where breakthroughs eluded them until now.
Ahead lies Sunday's 3 p.m. CET clash against Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten, a duo blending upset potential with court familiarity. For Skupski, this marks a historic step; for Salisbury, a chance to extend his Turin legacy. As the Pala Alpitour's atmosphere thickens, their partnership—honed through majors' finals—promises a final where endurance and adjustments could rewrite the year's narrative, every serve-volley combo tipping the scales toward glory.
