Australian Open: Rohan Bopanna-Matthew Ebden reach men’s doubles semi-finals

Melbourne : Star India Tennis player Rohan Bopanna on Wednesday became the oldest World No. 1 in the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) rankings following his stupendous win in the men’s doubles quarterfinals of the 2024 Australian Open.

The 43-year-old Indian paired up with Australia’s Matthew Ebden against the Argentinian duo of Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni in the quarterfinal round of the ongoing Australian Open.

Bopanna and Ebden clinched a 6-4, 7-6 (5) victory over Gonzalez and Molteni on Wednesday.

The Indian-Aussie duo dominated the game from the very first moment and they ended the first set in just half an hour winning it 6-4.

Bopanna and Ebden did not lost a tie-breaker in the previous three games of the Australian Open and the winning streak stayed intact as they bounced back from 1-3 down to 4-4. In the end, Bopanna placed two magnificent returns which helped them seal the win in Melbourne.

The 43-year-old secured the top spot in the ATP rankings and became the oldest World No. 1 after surpassing Rajeev Ram of the USA, who held the first place at the age of 38 in October 2022.

Bopanna and Ebden will lock horns against China’s Zhizhen Zhang and Czech Republic’s Tomas Machac in the semi-final round on Thursday to confirm their place in the final round.

Earlier in the third round of the ongoing Australian Open, Bopanna and Ebden clinched a win over Wesley Koolhof and Nikola Mektic in a tight two-set match 7-6 (8), 7-6 (4) in Melbourne Park on Monday. (