By JACKSON MANSEL, AusOpen.com
Christian Harrison and Neal Skupski have always yearned for hardcourt doubles supremacy.
After 14 years of setbacks and agony, the pair upstaged homegrown heroes Jason Kubler and Marc Polmans in the Australian Open 2026 men’s doubles final 7-6(4), 6-4 Saturday night In Melbourne. Harrison served an ace on championship point.
Great Britain’s Skupski, a former LSU star, had reached the top three times before in Grand Slams. For Harrison, this weekend was his first major triumph and a tribute to his persistence.
Reforming their partnership in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, over the off-season after advancing to the ATP finals with different partners, the pair have come a long way since their first match together in 2013.
“I’ve known Christian for a very long time,” Skupski said. “We played a Futures [tournament in Glasgow] together, straight out of college (LSU) for me in January 2013. We took a quick loss in the first round 6-1 6-3. We’ve upped our level since then.”
Harrison added, “He didn’t play with me the next week,” instead opting to play with his brother Ryan.
Ironically, Ryan – who retired in January 2024 after a 16-year pro career – was part of the BBC Television crew covering this year’s AO, and interviewed his younger brother after the semifinals.
Now Harrison follows in his brother’s footsteps by winning his first Grand Slam title. Nine years after watching Ryan hoist the Roland Garros 2017 crown, the 31-year-old tasted his own success.
Australian Open 2026 marks the pinnacle of a long and difficult road for the American, who had eight surgeries between 2009 and 2018. Remembering the moment that his brother won Grand Slam silverware, Harrison has plans for where he will display his trophy.
“Right next to [Ryan’s], or in front of it,” Harrison joked about where on the shelf at his parents’ place he would put the trophy. “Actually, in December, I’ve seen it there for years, I actually picked it up for the first time.
“I thought that in order to hold it, I wanted to put in the work to try and get one myself but for whatever reason, [I held it].
“I see how emotional [my parents] get when we have success. I know they’ll be proud to have another one up there.”
The Harrisons are considered Louisiana tennis royalty. Each of the five siblings, nurtured by their iconic father Jimmy Harrison, achieved top junior status, some with national rankings, and all played on the collegiate level. They all became coaches, and have made major impact at the recreational, high school, college and even professional levels.
One, Pat Harrison, is the father to Ryan and Christian. A former conference champion in singles and doubles at Oklahoma State, Pat Harrison is the former pro at the Pierremont Oaks Tennis Club and Shreveport Country Club.
Christian calls Bradenton, Fla., home when he is not globetrotting on the courts. He reached the men’s doubles semifinals of the 2025 French Open, and the U.S. Open mixed doubles semis in 2018 and 2025 as his previous career high point.
His ATP world doubles ranking climbed to No. 11, a career best, after the weekend triumph.
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