Tennis
US Open: Rohan Bopanna becomes oldest man to reach Grand Slam doubles final
Rohan Bopanna along with his Australian partner Matthew Ebden reached the final of men's doubles final of US Open 2023.
FILE PHOTO: Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden reached the final of the US Open on September 7, 2023.
43-year-old Rohan Bopanna continued his dream run and entered the men's doubles final of the US Open with his Australian partner Matthew Ebden on Thursday.
The Indo-Australian pair recorded a straight-set win over the French pair of Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut. This will be the second appearance for Rohan Bopanna in Grand Slam men's doubles final
The sixth-seeded Indo-Australian pair, who had reached the semifinals of the Wimbledon Championships this year, beat the French combination 7-6 (7-3), 6-2 in the semifinals of the hard court major.
With this final, the 43-year-old Indian also became the oldest player to reach a Grand Slam final in the Open era. Bopanna beat the record of Daniel Nestor of Canada, who was 43 years and 4 months when he played in a Major final, by two months.
13 years back in 2010, Rohan Bopanna appeared in his first Grand Slam final along with Pakistani partner Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi.
In the final, Bopanna and Ebden will play the American pair of Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury at the Louis Armstrong Stadium. The Indo-Australian pair has already won two titles in 2023- the ATP Qatar Open in Doha and the Indian Wells Masters.
“I think the turning point was when we were down 4-2 in the 1st set and saved a break point from going double break down. That kept us in the match. We also had great energy from the crowd. Back in the final after 13 years, happy to be back. I love New York, so why not," laughed Bopanna in the post-match interview.
