Riviere and Chisholm win 13th consecutive US Open doubles
Riviere recovers from singles defeat in statement performance at Westwood
With the real tennis world waking up to discover the news that Camden Riviere had lost an Open singles match for the first time in well over a decade, it seemed as though anything was possible. With a relatively short turnaround of approximately 14 hours between the end of the singles and the start of the doubles, there were question marks as to how Riviere would recover, physically and emotionally, to face up for the doubles final.
Camden Riviere and Tim Chisholm came to the final looking to defend their 12-year winning streak at the US Open doubles. They had not yet dropped a set in the tournament. Opposing them were Steve Virgona and John Lumley, the runners-up from the previous year’s five-set battle. Virgona and Lumley had fought hard to reach the final, coming through a back-and-forth five-set match in the quarter finals against Freddie Bristowe and Barney Tanfield, to then wrestle back the momentum from Robert Fahey and Nick Howell to win the semifinals in four sets.
Riviere took the the court with a black compression sleeve on his left leg, while Lumley, who had been wearing a white compression sleeve on his right leg, left his off court. Riviere was clearly still feeling the effects of his ailment, moving slowly between the rallies with a slight limp. But from the moment the racket hit the ball on the serve until the moment the ball was dead he was moving freely. Lumley and Virgona were not able to pressure him to move around all that much, as Chisholm’s presence at the front of the court restricted Virgona and Lumley to hitting more directly at Riviere. The American pair were able to regularly pick up just enough cheap points to efficiently convert points into games, winning the first set 6/1.
Virgona and Lumley opted to switch receivers for the second set, with Lumley taking Riviere’s serve instead of Chisholm’s. It initially paid off, earning a 3-1 lead, but Riviere was quickly able to reimpose himself on the match, including a back wall boast that threatened to land in the dedans had Virgona not shanked his volley. By this point, Riviere had shaken off any suggestion of impared movement as he and Chisholm were relentless with their attack. Virgona and Lumley were on the back foot through much of the set. However, owing to their earlier lead, Virgona and Lumley found themselves in a deciding game for the set. A few uncharacteristic errors from Riviere and Chisholm later and Lumley and Virgona were able to boast a scoreline of 1-all.
Despite dropping the set, Riviere and Chisholm maintained the momentum going into the third set. Virgona and Lumley struggled to find ways to turn their defensive play into attacking play. When they did, Riviere and Chisholm were too good at pushing the play back at Virgona and Lumley. Relative to the jovial way they played in the earlier rounds, Riviere and Chisholm were serious and focussed, but it caused them to drop their usual intensity late in the set. Lumley and Virgona were threatening a comeback, until Riviere took the set with a high back wall shot, playing off a hazard chase, which bounced off the penthouse and directly into the net, despite Virgona being ready to cover just about any other bounce.
Riviere and Chisholm were at their most dominant in the fourth set, as Virgona and Lumley struggled for ideas. Chisholm took over duties at the back of the court, a signature of the confidence that Riviere was feeling in the match. After dropping a couple of games, Riviere returned to the back, which was enough to see them home to their 13th consecutive US Open title, and 14th overall as a pair.
“Westwood, what a great week,” said Chisholm. “[To] my partner, I probably got 30 texts this morning wondering if he was even going to play today. We toughed it out. Well done, Cam, I appreciate it.”
“Congratulations to Cam and Tim. A pheonomal doubles team, we gave it everything; just too good,” said Virgona.
The conclusion of the US Open marks the final Open tournament of the 2024-25 season, with the next on the calendar due to be the French Open in late September. The next major event for the players is the World Championship Eliminators, starting in Chicago on March 20.
Match results:
11:00 am (doubles final): Camden Riviere & Tim Chisholm (1) def Steve Virgona & John Lumley (2) 6/1 5/6 6/4 6/2