Scouser Skupski stars on Centre Court
Scouser Neal Skupski was in the spotlight on Centre Court this afternoon, as he took on Chilean ATP star Nicolas Massu at Calderstones Park.
The 20-year-old from Allerton thrived on the support of his hometown crowd in a very competitive 7-6 (2), 6-4, defeat to the former double Olympic Champion.
“It was tremendous to play a two-time gold medalist in Nicolas Massu. I think I played pretty well today, I served really well, but he was just too good in the end and that’s why he’s at the top of the game.” said Skupski.
Skupski was on top form early on, dominating his service games and clearly taking inspiration from his home crowd.
However the former World No. 9 was determined to impress and grew in stature as the set wore on. Massu’s experience in the resulting tiebreak was crucial and he took advantage to win the first set 7-6 (7-2).
The Chilean began to loosen up in the second, putting more pressure on the Skupski serve and breaking in the fifth game on his way to a hard-fought 7-6 (2), 6-4 victory.
After the match, Skupski was quick to thank the crowd for their support: “I’m over in America at University at the moment; I’ve got a scholarship to play tennis. So I’m only here for three months until the end of August and it’s really nice to come back home and get the crowd’s support here in Liverpool.”
However Neal isn’t the only Skupski making a name for himself. His brother Ken is currently starring in doubles alongside Colin Fleming. ‘Flemski’, as they are known, broke through on tour last year winning two ATP ranking tournaments and entering the world’s top 50 in doubles.
“Ken’s doing really well and I try to follow him as much as I can, I went down to Queens last week and I’m going to go down to Wimbledon next week to watch them play again. Of course I hope they do well, hopefully he wins!” said Skupski.
Skupski grew up playing the game just around the corner from Calderstones Park at the Palmerston Tennis Club. He now plans to enter future ITF tournaments over the summer, before returning to the States and going pro: “I’ve got two and a half years left until I graduate and then after that I’ll join the circuit, play the smaller tournaments and hopefully progress to the bigger events like Wimbledon and all the Grand Slams.”
Sean Molyneux
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