HARRISON CLAIMS FIRST SLAM TITLE AT FRENCH OPEN

With a first-time American Grand Slam finalist on either side of the net Saturday, Team USA was guaranteed a champion in the French Open men's doubles final.
 

In a high-quality contest befitting a Slam finale, it was Ryan Harrison who helped catapult his team to a maiden major title.

The Texas native and Michael Venus of New Zealand captured the men's doubles crown at Roland Garros with a 7-6, 6-7, 6-3 triumph over fellow American Donald Young and Santiago Gonzalez of Mexico.

Harrison and Venus' path to the final included three-set matches in each of their first five contests, including a quarterfinal win over the No. 7-seeded duo of Ivan Dodig and Gerard Granollers-Pujol and a second-round win against the No. 4 seeds, Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo.

Young and Gonzalez had several notable wins themselves on the path to Saturday's championship match, highlighted by a three-set victory over No. 5 seeds and reigning US Open champions Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares in the quarterfinals and a straight-sets win over the Australian partnership of Nick Kyrgios and Jordan Thompson in the third round.
 

In a two-hour, 16-minute battle between a pair of unseeded teams, Saturday's final proved equally as close. There were no breaks of serve in either of the first two sets, with Harrison and Venus claiming the opener on their first set point and Young and Gonzalez leveling the final at their second opportunity in the second stanza.

The teams exchanged breaks midway through the decider, but Harrison and Venus earned what proved to be the decisive advantage in the eighth game when they broke for the second consecutive time to forge ahead 5-3. Serving for the championship, Harrison and Venus wrapped up the title on their second championship point.