STUART FRASER

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TENNIS
DOUBLES DUO CAN BE A BRIT SPECIAL
Daily Record
By Stuart Fraser
Friday 19th June 2009

WEB LINK: http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/tennis-news/2009/06/19/doubles-duo-can-be-a-brit-special-86908-21453429/

MOST of the attention will be on Andy Murray's chances in the singles when Wimbledon gets under way next week.

But hopes are also high for fellow Scot Colin Fleming and Ken Skupski from Liverpool in the doubles after a storming start to the grass season.

The pair reached the Final of the AEGON Trophy challenger in Nottingham and the quarter-finals of the AEGON Championships at Queen's last week - which included a victory over America's Bryan brothers.

That win is being hailed as Britain's best-ever doubles win with the wild cards defeating a pair who are ranked No.1 in the world and have won over 50 titles, including the career Grand Slam and Davis Cup.

Despite going out in the quarter-finals, 24-year-old Fleming was delighted with their showing at Queen's.

He said: "It is the highest level of tournament we have played in and to get a couple of wins was great experience and shows we can hold our own at this level.

"We have great energy when we go on court and have a similar approach to the game."

The pair are competing in the AEGON International in Eastbourne this week and had an impressive victory in the first round of the doubles on Tuesday over Queen's runners-up Marcelo Melo and Andre Sa.

Fleming went out of the singles in the first round to world No.64 Yen-Hsun Lu on Monday.

But while the Broxburn-born Scottish No.2 plays both forms of the game, Skupski concentrates on doubles and believes the grass surface provides them with their best chance of success.

The 26-year-old said: "Grass is one of our favourite surfaces so we are confident whenever we play on these courts.

"There are a lot of foreign players who don't like grass as it's a bit too quick for them.

"A lot of these guys are used to playing in the heat and in perfect conditions. But it's windy in England and we deal with it a little bit better than most of them because we're used to it in our home country."