Somerset’s Richard Gabb has returned from the Aegon GB Pro-Series Bournemouth as doubles champion after winning the title alongside partner and fellow Briton, Neal Skupski.
Gabb and Skupski were the top seeds for the doubles draw and duly delivered despite coming under some intense pressure in the final of the tournament. They were taken into a champion’s tie-break in the final against fourth seeds Jack Carpenter and Ashley Hewitt.
Having shared the first two sets 6-3 and 2-6, the two pairs were to decide the contest in the first-to-10 points breaker. In the tense environment, Gabb and Skupski showed great composure as they forged ahead in the decider before sealing the win 10-3.
The winning duo had experienced a relatively straight forward route to the final. After receiving a bye in the first round, they were then drawn against Cameron Norrie and Jonny O’Mara, who won the Aegon British Tour event at West Hants the previous week, in the quarter finals.
A close first set went the way of Gabb and Skupski 7-5 and the pair really took control in the second set after good work in the opening exchanges. They won the second set 6-1 to progress to the semi-finals where they met Scott Clayton and Toby Martin, who had knocked out the third seeds in the first round.
The semi-final proved to be Gabb and Skupski’s best match in terms of score-line. With a couple of breaks in both sets, they raced away to a 6-2, 6-2 victory to earn their place in the final.
The doubles victory will mean a lot to Gabb, especially after an unfortunate draw in the mens singles event in which he was up against the fifth seed in the first round. He was beaten 6-2, 6-3 by Alexander Slabinsky, but the defeat ultimately worked in his favour, giving him more time to focus on the doubles event.
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By Harry Lund