Rajeev Ram's Iconic US Open Partnership Ends Against Krawietz and Puetz
Rajeev Ram’s glittering career closed on one of the sport’s biggest stages, but not with the ending he and Joe Salisbury had grown used to in New York.
The three-time defending US Open champions saw their remarkable run halted in the semi-finals as Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz produced a composed, clinical performance to win 6-3, 6-4 and book their place in the men’s doubles final.
For Ram, it was the last ball struck in a career that has helped redefine modern doubles. For Salisbury, it was the end of one of the most successful partnerships of the era.
Curtain falls on a legendary duo
Salisbury and Ram walked onto Louis Armstrong Stadium chasing yet another slice of history. They are the only team ever to win the US Open men’s doubles title three years in a row, lifting the trophy in 2021, 2022 and 2023. Four Grand Slams together, countless deep runs, a standard of consistency rarely seen in the doubles game.
This time, though, the margins went against them.
Krawietz and Puetz broke early, settled quickly and never really loosened their grip. The Germans handled the occasion with the poise of a team that has been together for years, reading returns, closing the net and keeping one of the game’s great pairings at arm’s length on the scoreboard.
The defeat also denied Salisbury a fifth US Open final in six seasons, a measure of just how dominant he has been on these courts.
When it was over, the emotion belonged to Ram. The American reflected on the setting as much as the result, pointing to Louis Armstrong Stadium as the perfect stage for his farewell, recalling the epic battles he and Salisbury have fought there and the way the tournament had embraced their story.
Skupski and Harrison vs Krawietz and Puetz: a final with edge
Attention now turns to Saturday 12 September, when the title will be decided.
Neal Skupski and Christian Harrison, the British-American pairing, will take on Krawietz and Puetz in a final rich with subplots. It is only the first season together for Skupski and Harrison, yet they have already carved their names into the record books by winning the Australian Open in just their second tournament as a team.
They arrive in the final as fifth seeds, brimming with belief and momentum.
Across the net stand the sixth seeds, Krawietz and Puetz, a far more established duo and the reigning 2024 ATP Finals champions. They have built a reputation as one of the most reliable teams on tour, but one glaring gap remains on their résumé: a Grand Slam title together.
They have been close. Painfully close. They reached the US Open final in 2024, only to fall to Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson. Now they are back in the same arena, with another chance to erase that scar.
There is recent history between the finalists as well. Skupski and Harrison have already felt the full weight of the German partnership this year. In Adelaide, Krawietz and Puetz edged their only previous meeting 6-3, 2-6, 10-5 in a match that swung wildly before the Germans steadied in the deciding match tiebreak.
That result will sit in the back of both teams’ minds. For Skupski and Harrison, it offers a benchmark. For Krawietz and Puetz, it reinforces the belief that they can hold firm when the match tightens.
A new chapter in New York
With Ram’s farewell and the end of his era alongside Salisbury, men’s doubles at the US Open feels like it is turning a page.
On one side, a fast-rising team that has wasted no time collecting major silverware. On the other, a seasoned pair chasing the one prize that continues to elude them, back on the court where they suffered one of their toughest defeats.
The stage is set. One partnership will leave New York as Grand Slam champions for the first time together. The other will walk away knowing chances like this do not come around often.
