Rohan Bopanna will return to world number 1 in doubles rankings after winning the Miami Open alongside Matthew Ebden
Rohan Bopanna won his maiden title at the Miami Masters 1000 alongside Australian Matthew Ebden when they came from behind to beat Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek. This victory will allow Bopanna to return to the top of the rankings on Monday.
By winning the trophy in Miami, Bopanna won his sixth ATP Masters 1000 crown, continuing his previous triumphs: Paris 2011 (with Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi), Paris 2012 (with Mahesh Bhupathi), Madrid 2015 (with Florin Mergea), 2017. Monte Carlo (with Pablo Cuevas), 2023 India Wells (with Ebden). The title in Miami also ends the series of three consecutive defeats of Bopanna and Ebden in the finals of the ATP 1000 tournaments (Madrid, Shanghai and Paris in 2023).
The run to the final itself was a momentous occasion for ‘Bops’, who became the second Indian, after Leander Paes, to reach the final of all nine Masters 1000 tournaments.
The Indian-Australian duo won 6-7, 6-3, 10-6 in one hour and 44 minutes against the Croatian/American team made up of veterans Dodig and Krajicek.
Miami Masters 🙌@rohanbopanna & @mattebden complete the career Sunshine Double with a 6-7 6-3 10-6 victory over Dodig and Krajicek at #MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/HPefvjXaPy
– Tennis TV (@TennisTV) March 30, 2024
They had a chance to set up by serving at 6-5, but were broken after squandering two set point opportunities. On the other hand, Dodig and Krajicek managed to convert their first opportunity in the following tie-break.
The second set saw just one break of serve, in the second game, as Bopanna and Ebden remained resolute and forced a deciding tie-break.
In the first 10-point encounter, they remained neck and neck until Bopanna and Ebden fought back to back and followed up with one on their own serve to make it 9-6. The Australian Open champions then managed to convert their first match point opportunity, when Dodig sent his volley into the net, for the title.
Bopanna and Ebden won 78 percent (39/50) of points on their first serves and saved seven of eight break points.
OH YES 🙌
Ageless wonder @rohanbopanna tattoo this winner on the back #MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/1HorKyM9vs
– Tennis TV (@TennisTV) March 30, 2024
“I think it’s important, especially when we play ad-free scores and in-match tie-breaks,” Bopanna said when asked about his serving prowess. “Every time I hit a serve, I felt like it was very precise, and that’s an extremely important aspect of tennis. Everyone starts a point with this service, and it’s the only thing we control.
History DONE (again) 🙌@rohanbopanna beats his own record and becomes the oldest winner of a Masters 1000 title, at 44 years old! #MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/T27Pz9khvd
– Tennis TV (@TennisTV) March 30, 2024
At Indian Wells 2023, Bopanna had become the oldest Masters 1000 champion. By lifting the Miami Open trophy on Saturday, Bopanna, 44, pushed the record and the limits even further.
“It’s amazing. As long as you do well in these big events, that’s what we play for,” Bopanna said. “I want to do well in the Masters 1000 and Grand Slams. It’s good to maintain this record and continue to give everyone else a hard time.
