JAMIE SPLIT SHOCK
Murray poised to swap Brazil’s Soares for new British doubles partner
Jamie murray and Bruno Soares are on the brink of splitting up their highly successful doubles partnership after nearly three and a half seasons together. The Scottish-Brazilian duo are playing together at this fortnight’s French Open but it is expected to be their last Grand Slam as a partnership.
according to two separate sources, they will soon go their separate ways, probably before Wimbledon, with Jamie having been in discussions with Neal Skupski about forming a new team.
The 29 year-old Liverpudlian is one of Britain’s strong hand of doubles specialists, ranked 27 in the world.
murray and Soares, who is 37, got together at the start of 2016 and quickly hit it off, winning the australian Open. They won the uS Open later that year.
While their 2019 has hardly been disastrous, they have won only one title at main tour level, the Sydney international. Partnerships in tennis are fickle, and theirs has endured longer than most but may have reached its natural conclusion.
murray, who has won six Grand Slam titles in Double delight: Murray and Soares
all including four in the mixed, was unavailable for comment. The 33-yearold last week played down the possibility of teaming up with brother andy in the immediate future.
While Jo Konta and Kyle edmund will play their first- round matches at roland Garros today, there was encouraging news for British tennis from america where a GB player has won the prestigious NCaa championship for the first time.
Paul Jubb, a 19-year- old from Hull who attends the university of South Carolina, took the same title that has been held in the past by stars such as John mcenroe and Jimmy Connors.
He beat Portugal’s Nuno Borges 6-3, 7-6 in the tournament final in Orlando.
While the uS college scene is not as strong as it was in the legends’ day, it is still formidably competitive and increasingly international, with a record of producing successful players.
Britain’s Cam Norrie, current world No 41, is among them and did not manage to win the NCaa title in his two attempts.
The winner of the event gets an automatic wildcard for the uS Open main draw but only if they are american. Wimbledon can be expected to look sympathetically at Jubb, who is in his third year having been offered a scholarship at the age of 17.
roger Federer made a successful return to the French Open yesterday after an absence of four years when he brushed off italy’s Lorenzo Sonego 6-2, 6-4, 6-4.
‘it’s nice to be an outsider, just see how it goes,’ he said. ‘i know when Wimbledon comes around, sure, i’ll be probably a higher favourite.’
Wimbledon champion angelique Kerber, who has had a foot injury, was the biggest faller on the opening day, losing 6-4, 6-2 to russia’s anastasia Potapova.
italian Open finalist Konta today has the chance to break her duck in the main draw of roland Garros against German qualifier antonia Lottner.
Later in the day, edmund has a difficult assignment when he takes on Frenchman Jeremy Chardy on the renowned ‘Bullring’ Court No 1, which is being demolished after this year.
With doubts over her fitness, Serena Williams was confirmed as facing russia’s Vitalia Diatchenko today.