Tennis
Rohan Bopanna/Matthew Ebden reach ATP tour semi-finals
The Indo-Australian pair of Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden stormed into the semi-finals of the ATP Tour.
Madrid Masters ATP doubles event will serve as the trial event for this new rule
Rohan Bopanna and his Australian partner Matthew Ebden moved to the semi-finals of the ATP finals men's doubles event after defeating Wesley Koolhof/Neal Skupski on Friday.
The Indian tennis star along with Ebden defeated the European pair in straight sets in the final qualification match that lasted 84 minutes.
The third-seeded Indo-Australian duo produced a strong performance on serve, winning 88 percent (35/40) of points behind their first delivery to improve to 2-1 in Red Group play.
With their 40th tour-level win of the season, Bopanna and Ebden joined defending champions Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury in the knockout stages from Red Group.
Earlier this week, Bopanna, 43, became the oldest player to win a match in the tournament history.
Pairing up for the first time at the start of the season, Bopanna and Ebden have enjoyed an impressive year and won tour-level trophies in Doha and Indiana Wells.
The duo also finished as runner-up at the US Open 2023 where they lost to Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury. Bopanna is making his fourth appearance at the year-end event, while Ebden is debuting.
Bopanna and Ebden can still finish the season with year-end ATP Doubles No. 1. They must reach the final to pass already-eliminated Dodig and Krajicek, who are in top spot. Koolhof and Skupski can no longer finish the season at No. 1.
The pairs of Santiago Gonzalez-Edouard Roger Vasselin and Marcel Granollers-Horacio Zeballos -- who are in the fray in Green Group -- must lift the trophy to move to No. 1.
