From Melbourne, India’s Rohan Bopanna and Australian Matthew Ebden fought hard to capture the Australian Open men’s doubles title on Saturday, winning with a 7-6(0) 7-5 victory over Italian duo Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori.
Ebden and Bopanna collapsed onto the ground after defeating their Italian opponents and showed their gratitude to the crowd at the Rod Laver Arena.
At 43, Bopanna claimed the title and became the oldest male player to win a Grand Slam. After losing the mixed doubles final the previous year and in 2018, Bopanna finally tasted victory in Australia in his 17th consecutive Open.
“Age is just a number for this guy. He’s a champion and a warrior, and I’m proud to have him as my partner,” Ebden said of Bopanna.
Bolelli and Vavassori put up a strong fight in the opening set, earning their first break point at 5-5. However, the Indian-Australian pair managed to save serve and win the tiebreak with the support of the crowd.
The second set followed a similar pattern, with Bopanna and Ebden breaking Vavassori’s serve at 5-5 to put them in a position to serve for the match.
“I couldn’t have done this without my fantastic Aussie partner by my side,” Bopanna commented after the win.
Having lost in the U.S. Open final the previous year, this victory marks the first Major title for the pairing. Bopanna is set to become the world number one according to the updated rankings on Monday, with Ebden at number two due to playing three more tournaments during the ranking period.
Ebden had previously won the Australian Open mixed doubles in 2013 and the Wimbledon men’s doubles in 2022, while Bopanna emerged victorious in the 2017 French Open mixed doubles. This was Vavassori’s first appearance in a Major final, and Bolelli had previously won the men’s doubles title in Australia in 2015.
(Reporting by Trevor Stynes; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
