ST. PETERSBURG, Russia– Former LSU men’s tennis standout Ken Skupski claimed his second ATP doubles title of the year with partner Colin Fleming at the St. Petersburg Open on Sunday after defeating French duo Jeremy Chardy and Richard Gasquet, 2-6, 7-5, 10-4.
Skupski and Fleming, No. 56 in the most recent ATP polls, respectively, received a prize of $38,000 for earning the doubles title.
“Ken continues to impress with his second ATP championship in a year,” LSU head coach Jeff Brown said. “To jump from being ranked around No. 300 to becoming a top-50 team is quite an accomplishment. If Ken and Colin continue to play well, they are going to become top 10 at this pace.”
In September, Skupski and Fleming claimed their first ATP title at the Open de Moselle in Metz, France by defeating two-time defending champions Arnaud Clement and Michael Llodra.
An outstanding four-year career at LSU preceded Skupski’s professional success.
The four-year letterman left LSU as one of the most highly decorated players in the history of LSU men’s tennis, earning the No. 4 spot on LSU’s all-time win list with 104 victories.
The Liverpool, England native earned All-America honors at LSU in doubles in 2005 and in singles both in 2006 and 2007. Skupski’s younger brother Neal Skupski is currently a sophomore on the LSU men’s tennis team.