Lumley and Virgona break Chisholm and Riviere's 13-year stranglehold of US Open doubles title
Challengers win in nail-biting four set contest
Steve Virgona and John Lumley have dethroned Camden Riviere and Tim Chisholm from their US Open doubles title, subjecting them to their first defeat in all competitions in 13 years, following a nail-biting final at the Racquet Club of Chicago on Thursday.
The doubles final was a repeat of both the 2024 and 2025 US Open finals, as well as the 2023 and 2024 World Doubles Championships. The defending champions and World Champions, Tim Chisholm and Camden Riviere, were seeking their 15th US Open doubles title. Their opponents, John Lumley and Steve Virgona, pushed them to five sets in Philadelphia in 2024 and to four in Washington in 2025.
With Lumley opting to receive from Chisholm, the challengers got off to a quick start, winning the first two games of the match. But Chisholm was much quicker to get warmed into the game than he had been in the semi-finals. He and Riviere took a rather direct approach at the dedans. They took the next four games before Virgona and Lumley started a short fightback. Holding the service end was key, with few hazard chases conceded making the galleries a prized commodity. The set ran to a deciding game, with Chisholm and Riviere at the service end. Chisholm was edging further and further up the court with his volleys setting up the points and Riviere finishing them high onto the curved Chicago tambour. They won the deciding game to love to set up their one set lead.
The second set began like the first, with Virgona and Lumley taking an early lead while trying to leverage the support of the home crowd to Virgona’s favour. All four players were strong enough in their retrieval and court coverage, so the only way to break through was a rare error or to use the features of the court, with the high tambour and straight dedans being popular options. Virgona was particularly keen to take galleries, ensuring he and Lumley could make the most of the service end. The challengers had plenty of chances for a 4/1 lead, but Riviere was hitting his winners harder and harder, getting the ball to cut ferociously. The World Champions fought back to a 4/3 lead. The next two games were shared, with Riviere and Chisholm on the cusp of a two set lead at 5/4. Virgona and Lumley picked on Chisholm’s backhand volley, beating him for pace as he tried to defend the grille corner. They sent the set to a deciding game for the second time in the match. Virgona was determined to see it through, his left-handed side walls getting Chisholm to backpedal and play a loose ball down the middle. He then took command, patrolling up and down the gallery wall while Lumley played in support. They won the set after the change of ends as Riviere tried to volley a lob out of the dedans, but sent it out of court instead.
With the match now level, they once again had the choice of receivers, opting to keep Virgona serving to Chisholm. Buoyed with confidence and bristling with energy, Virgona and Lumley pressed on. They were successfully able to ice out Riviere, especially at the receiving end, with the South Carolinan being forced into playing defensive volleys as opposed to his preferred scrambling floor game. Virgona's big forehands continued to be a menace, proving the key component in their control of the play. Virgona and Lumley stretched the set out to a three game lead, which would have turned into a four game lead had Lumley not set Riviere up with an overhit pique serve on a half yard chase. Instead, Chisholm and Riviere brought the set back to 3-all again. The set continued to follow the same script, with a nailbiting finish as Virgona and Lumley went up 5/4 following a not-up call that Riviere wasn’t too impressed by. Still, his fast feet and a low backhand dig gave him a winning gallery that helped bring the set to a deciding game for the third time. This time, Virgona and Lumley won all four points, with each ending with a ball in the net of Riviere’s racket. The first was an unforced error, but the remaining three came after Lumley and Virgona battered the tambour, breaking down Riviere’s defence bit by bit.
Into the fourth set, Chisholm elected to take Lumley’s serve. For the fourth time in the match, Virgona and Lumley found themselves with an early lead in the set. This time, they were able to make it stick, despite Riviere zooming around the court trying to keep the ball in play. Virgona kept taking galleries at every opportunity and Chisholm seemed happy to cede it to him, even if it did mean subjecting Riviere to having to deal once again with the barrage of balls onto the tambour. The World Champions were no longer able to convert points into games, with Lumley slotting three straight dedans to secure victory.
The result marks the first defeat for Chisholm and Riviere at the US Open doubles since 2011, having defended it continuously since 2013. It also marks their first loss in all competitions since the World Doubles Championship in 2013. Virgona was the previous victor on both occasions, both times partnered by Rob Fahey. The win also secures Lumley his first career grand slam in doubles, with his first career US Open doubles win coming alongside 4 French Opens, 3 British Opens and 2 Australian Opens. It is also Riviere’s second loss in an Open final of the year to date, having lost the Australian Open final alongside Chris Chapman to Virgona and Nick Howell, the first time he has lost two Opens in a year since 2010.
The win could not have come at a better time for Lumley and Virgona, who are set to challenge Riviere and Chisholm for the World Championship title in a little over a month at Moreton Morrell. Before then, all four players will be in action at the USCTA National League Super Event at the Racquet Club of New York, alongside two of the other contenders, Nick Howell and Ben Taylor-Matthews.
Match results:
5:15 PM: Camden Riviere & Tim Chisholm (1) lost to Steve Virgona & John Lumley (2) 6/5 5/6 5/6 1/6