A day after securing the assurance of becoming the world No. 1 on Monday, Rohan Bopanna, making history as the oldest man to achieve this milestone for the first time in his career, achieved a remarkable victory in the Australian Open. Partnering with Australia’s Matthew Ebden, the Indian tennis ace advanced to his inaugural Australian Open final in men’s doubles. In the semifinals at the Rod Laver Arena, the second-seeded pair defeated Zhang Zhizhen and Tomas Machac with a score of 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (10-7) under the closed roof, marking Bopanna and Ebden’s second consecutive Grand Slam final appearance together.
The strategy was clear from Bopanna and Ebden, to keep attacking the player at the net, and the experienced duo drew first blood as they broke Machac’s serve in the fourth game of the match after the Aussie charged from behind with back-to-back aggressive forehands before drawing a forced error off Zhang’s backhand. Bopanna later served out the opening set, comfortably winning it 6-3 in just 32 minutes.
Read Also : Russian plane crashes while carrying 65 Ukrainian
Machac and Zhang Energize Second Set with Aggressive Net Play
Machac and Zhang came with renewed energy in the second set, with the Czech more attacking at the net, putting pressure on Bopanna and Ebden with his positionings. And the efforts bore fruit as the unseeded pair launched a comeback in the match after breaking Ebden’s serve, which looked slightly off the mark for the first time in over a fortnight in Australia.
Read Also : Expect India To Treat British Citizens Fairly: UK PM Rishi Sunak
Bopanna and Ebden Stage Thrilling Comeback, Seal Victory in Super Tiebreak
Bopanna and Ebden found their rhythm back in the final set, breaking Zhang’s serve in the fifth game to serve for a place in the final at 5-3. However, the Chinese reprieved himself by orchestrating the break back against Ebden’s serve after Bopanna’s one-handed backhand sailed over the baseline, and then again from 0-40 down on his serve at 4-5 with the second seed on three match points before forcing a super tiebreak.
The Indo-Aussie pair never lost a tiebreaker in Melbourne this year, which included a a 10-point shootout in their opener, and the record remained intact on Thursday as well with the Bopanna and Ebden holding nerves and adjusting well to a fast-moving Machac at the nets. The Indian eventually sealed the victory with an ace.
Read Also : Anti-War Candidate Tries To Vote Against Putin