The pair of Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden, seeded second, delivered an outstanding performance at the Rod Laver Arena to secure their first-ever Australian Open men's doubles championship on Saturday.
The pair secured a victory over Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori of Italy in two consecutive sets with scores of 7-6 and 7-5 in an exciting match.
Bopanna, in his 17th Australian Open appearance, clinched his first-ever Grand Slam men's doubles title in this tournament. At 43 years and 329 days old, he also secured the record for being the oldest Grand Slam champion.
In the men's doubles final, Bopanna and Ebden made an impressive start, taking a 1-0 lead with a 40-0 scoreline in the opening game of the first set. However, Bolelli and Vavassori fought back in the second game, initially taking a 15-0 lead before being equalized by Bopanna and Ebden. The game went to deuce, with Bolelli and Vavassori ultimately emerging victorious.
The initial set resembled a rollercoaster ride as both pairs fiercely competed. Bopanna and Ebden secured a 40-15 victory in the fifth game. However, Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori rallied in the sixth game, winning 40-15 to level the first set at 3-3.
The Indo-Australian duo maintained dominance throughout the initial set, decisively outplaying the Italian pair in the ninth game and securing a 40-15 victory.
After a lengthy and exciting match, Bopanna and Ebden emerged victorious in the opening set of the men's doubles final. Securing the set in a tie-breaker, the duo delivered a commanding display to clinch it with a 7-6 score.
After dropping the opening set, Bolelli and Vavassori began the second set strongly by easily outplaying Bopanna and Ebden in the first game. The Italian duo took a commanding 40-15 lead to go up 1-0 in the second set.
The second set proved to be an exciting match, similar to the first. Bolelli and Vavassori dominated in the ninth game while Bopanna and Ebden struggled to counter. Despite this, the Indo-Australian pair staged a strong comeback, ultimately winning the second set 7-5 and securing their first Australian Open men's doubles title.
