Rajeev Ram Bows Out as Skupski–Harrison Set Up US Open Final

Rajeev Ram’s career ended not on Arthur Ashe, but in the late-summer light of Louis Armstrong Stadium, the court he cherishes most in New York. One last match, one last charge with Joe Salisbury – and one last defeat that closed a remarkable chapter in men’s doubles.

Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz were in no mood for sentiment. The German pair cut through the three-time defending champions 6-3, 6-4, snapping Salisbury and Ram’s bid for a fifth US Open final in six years and halting their extraordinary run at Flushing Meadows.

The result sends Krawietz and Puetz into the men’s doubles final, where they will face the British-American team of Neal Skupski and Christian Harrison on Saturday 12 September.

End of an era on Armstrong

For Ram, this was it. The last ball struck in a career that, alongside Salisbury, reshaped recent US Open history.

From 2021 to 2023, no one could touch them in New York. They stand alone as the only team to win the US Open men’s doubles title three years in a row in that span, a streak that cemented them as one of the great hard-court pairings of their era. They leave with four Grand Slam titles together and a partnership defined by big moments on big courts.

Fittingly, Ram’s farewell came on Louis Armstrong, a stage that has seen some of their wildest nights. Reflecting on his final match, he underlined exactly why this setting felt right – the tournament, the court, and Salisbury’s central role in their shared story.

The scoreboard was harsh, but the occasion was not. The Germans were ruthless on serve, precise at the net, and unflustered by the history across the net. They shut down the angles, broke once in each set, and never allowed Salisbury and Ram to build the kind of emotional surge that had carried them through so many tight New York battles.

The partnership ends without a fifth US Open crown, yet with a legacy that will linger every time a new team walks into Armstrong chasing something improbable.

A final with contrasting stories

Attention now turns to Saturday’s final: Skupski and Harrison against Krawietz and Puetz. Fifth seeds versus sixth. A fresh partnership against an established one. One team already a Slam-winning duo this season, the other still hunting that elusive first major together.

This will be only their second meeting. The first, in Adelaide, went the Germans’ way: 6-3, 2-6, 10-5 in a deciding match tiebreak. It was tight, edgy, and hinted at a rivalry that could grow quickly if both teams keep living deep in draws.

Skupski and Harrison arrive in the final with the swagger of a team that found chemistry at high speed. This is still their first season together, yet they smashed through the usual adjustment period by winning the Australian Open in just their second tournament as a pair. That Melbourne title announced them as a serious force, not an experiment.

Across the net stand Krawietz and Puetz, 2024 ATP Finals champions and a far more settled unit. They know each other’s patterns, trust each other’s instincts, and have spent years building a game built on structure and resilience. Still, one thing is missing: a Grand Slam trophy together.

They came close in New York in 2024, reaching the US Open final only to fall to Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson. Now they are back on the same stage with a chance to correct that.

History, hunger and one open door

So the stage is set. Skupski and Harrison, the rapid-rise Slam winners, against Krawietz and Puetz, the seasoned team chasing the one prize their résumé lacks.

The Germans have the edge in their head-to-head. Skupski and Harrison have the bigger statement win this year. Both teams know what it feels like to handle the pressure of a major occasion.

One era in New York doubles closed with Ram’s final handshake on Louis Armstrong. The next will take shape in Saturday’s final, where either a new multi-Slam partnership takes hold, or a long-standing duo finally gets the Grand Slam title their consistency deserves.