Rohan Bopanna wins his maiden Grand Slam in men's doubles
Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden scripted history by winning the 2024 Australian Open on Saturday. The Indo-Australian pairing defeated the Italian duo of Simone Bolleli and Andrea Vavassori 7-6(0), 7-5 in the title clash. This is Bopanna's maiden Grand Slam title in the men's doubles category while being his second overall after he won the Roland Garros title in 2017 in mixed doubles.
Bopanna becomes the oldest Grand Slam winner in Open Era
At 43, Bopanna is now the oldest Grand Slam winner in the Open Era by clinching the Australian Open title. This was his maiden men's doubles title and second Slam honor overall. He won the French Open in 2017 in mixed doubles with Canada's Gabriela Dabrowski. He also became the third Indian to win a major in men's doubles after Leander Paes and Bhupathi.
Oldest World No. 1 in men's doubles category
Courtesy of Bopanna and Ebden's win in the 2024 Australian Open quarter-final, the Indian tennis ace scripted history by attaining the World Number 1 spot in the men's doubles. He also became the oldest World No. 1 in the men's doubles category at the age of 43. He broke the previous record held by Mike Bryan (41 years and 76 days) in 2019.
Fourth Indian to be crowned World No. 1
Bopanna became only the fourth Indian tennis player to be crowned with the World No. 1 ranking. He joins the elite list which includes legends like Paes, Bhupathi, and Sania Mirza.
Third Grand Slam final in men's doubles
This was Bopanna's third Grand Slam final in the men's doubles category. He reached his maiden Grand Slam final at the US Open in 2010 with Pakistani partner Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi. The Indian reached his second major final with Ebden last year at the US Open. Bopanna now owns a 95-60 win-loss record at men's doubles across Grand Slams, including 22-16 at AO.
A look at Bopanna-Ebden's journey to the final
Bopanna-Ebden defeated James Duckworth and Marc Polsmars 7-6(5), 4-6, 7-6(2) in the first round. They ousted John Millman and Edward Winter in the second round (6-2, 6-4). The duo defeated Wesley Koolhof and Nikola Metkic 7-6(8), 7-6(4) in the third round. They defeated Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni in the quarters followed by a victory over Zhang Zhizhen and Tomas Machac in the semis.
Records galore for Bopanna
Bopanna broke several records during the 2024 Australian Open. As per ATP, he recorded his 500th win in professional tennis when he won his first-round clash in the tournament. The veteran also clocked his 25th title on the ATP tour in his professional career, including two majors and five Masters 1000 crowns.
Fourth Indian to win the Australian Open
Bopanna became the fourth Indian to win the Australian Open crown in doubles. Paes has won the title four times, thrice in mixed doubles and once in men's doubles. Bhupathi won it twice, both times in mixed doubles. He won the 2009 Australian Open title with Sania. Meanwhile, Sania lifted the Australian Open twice, one each in women's doubles and mixed doubles.
A look at the match stats
Bopanna and Ebden hammered eight aces in comparison to only one ace from their opponents. However, the Indo-Australian pairing committed five double faults. Bopanna-Ebden won 82 and 75 percent of their first and second serves respectively. They converted 1/3 break points on offer. They won 80 points in comparison to Bolleli-Vavassori's tally of 66 points. The pair also clocked 26 winners.
