Rohan Bopanna, an Indian tennis star, set a new career high when he and partner Matthew Ebden won the Miami Open.
Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden made history by defeating Croatia’s Ivan Dodic and American Austin Krajicek 6-7 6-3 10-16 to win the Miami Open. In the process, Bopanna, 44, became the oldest man to win a Masters 1000 championship on the ATP tour. The tennis player smashed his own record, which he set last year by capturing the Indian Wells title. Bopanna’s Miami Open victory also made him the second Indian, after Leander Paes, to reach the finals of all nine ATP Masters 1000 events.
Bopanna and Ebden had a rough start, losing the first set 6-7. However, the Indo-Aussie duo kept their calm and made a strong comeback throughout the match. In the second set, Bopanna-Ebden won 6-3. Meanwhile, in the third and deciding set, they outclassed their opponents and won 10-6 to seal the victory.
Earlier, Bopanna-Edben advanced to the final after defeating Spain’s Marcel Granollers and his Argentine partner Horacio Zeballos 6-1 and 6-4, respectively.
They dominated the Miami Open semifinal match from the start. The Indo-Aussie duo won the first set, 6-1. The opponents attempted a comeback in the second set, but Bopanna and his buddy maintained their composure and won 6-4.
In this year’s Australian Open final, the tandem defeated Italy’s Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori in straight sets, 7-6, 7-5. It was Bopanna’s second Grand Slam title overall, and his first in men’s doubles. His previous Grand Slam win came in mixed doubles with Gabriela Dabrowski of Canada at the 2017 French Open.
Bopanna, making his 17th Australian Open appearance, easily won his first Grand Slam men’s doubles title. He also became the oldest Grand Slam champion, at 43 years and 329 days.
The Indian tennis player is also the third Indian man in the Open Era to win a major men’s doubles title, after Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi. Following his title victory, he rose to the top of the global rankings.
