Yuki Bhambri’s fairytale run at the 2025 US Open ended in a silent heartbreak after the Indian, pairing with New Zealand’s Michael Venus, went down fighting in a hard-fought three-setter against the British duo of Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski in the men’s doubles semifinal at the Louis Armstrong Stadium.
In what turned out to be a nerve-wracking marathon battle, the semifinal was packed with powerful rallies, strong baseline exchanges, and fearless net play from the very first serve. Up against one of the strongest pairings on the circuit, the Indo-Kiwi duo were knocked out 7-6 (2), 6-7 (5), and 4-6 in a contest that lasted 2 hours and 53 minutes.
With that, the 33-year-old Bhambri became the fourth Indian man in the Open era to reach a Grand Slam doubles semifinal, following Leander, Mahesh Bhupathi, and Rohan Bopanna.
Despite taking an early lead in the opening set, Bhambri and Venus failed to keep the momentum going, which allowed Salisbury-Skupski to level at 5-5. Bhambri and Venus, however, held their composure and clinched the tiebreak 7-6 (7-2) to draw first blood.
The second set turned into a battle of nerves, with momentum shifting constantly. Bhambri and Venus came close to breaking in the fifth game but missed the chance, and the slip proved costly. Salisbury and Skupski fought back strongly, pushing the set into a tiebreak before edging it 7-6 (7-5).
With the contest hanging in the balance, the decider demanded composure. The British pair struck early to break Bhambri and Venus’ rhythm and maintained their grip to close out the set 6-4, ending the Indo-Kiwi duo’s hopes of reaching their first Grand Slam final together.
Earlier, the Indian-New Zealand combo had a strong run at Flushing Meadows, defeating several higher-seeded pairs on their way to the last four. Bhambri and Venus had registered victories against fourth seeds Tim Putz and Kevin Krawietz of Germany and 11th seeds Rajeev Ram and Nikola Mektic.
“This has been a special week for me. To be playing at this level and in the semifinal of a Slam is a big moment,” said Bhambri, whose career has been hampered by multiple injuries.
For Bhambri, who became Junior World No. 1 in 2009 and the Australian Open Junior Champion, the US Open semifinal run was a career-defining breakthrough, underlining his growing stature as a doubles specialist. With the result, the Delhi player assured himself a significant boost in rankings and valuable momentum heading into the rest of the season.
Meanwhile, the British duo of Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski will now square off against Spaniard Marcel Granollers and Argentine Horacio Zeballos for the US Open men’s doubles title. For Joe and Neal, this will be the best opportunity to avenge the 2025 French Open final loss against the Spanish/Argentine pairing.