Rohan Bopanna, Matthew Ebden pair clinch maiden Australian Open men's doubles title
The duo defeated Italy's Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori in straight sets 7-6, 7-5 in a thrilling encounter
Melbourne: The second seeds, Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden produced a masterclass performance at the Rod Laver Arena to clinch their maiden Australian Open men's doubles title as a team on Saturday.
The duo defeated Italy's Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori in straight sets 7-6, 7-5 in a thrilling encounter.
Bopanna, who made his 17th Australian Open appearance in this edition, comfortably wrapped up his maiden Grand Slam men's doubles title victory. Aged 43 years 329 days, he also became the oldest Grand Slam champion.
Bopanna and Ebden got off to a terrific start in the final of the men's doubles match as in the opening game of the first set, the duo registered a scoreline of 40-0 and took a 1-0 lead. After losing the first game, the duo of Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori bounced back in the second game. The game started with the Italian duo taking a 15-0 lead, which was equalized by Bopanna/Ebden. Later, the duo made it 40-40 and took the game in deuce, where Bolelli and Vavassori won.
The first set was like a rollercoaster ride as both the duos were giving tough competition to each other. Bopanna and Ebden register a scoreline of 40-15 to claim a win in the fifth game. Later, Simone Bolelli/Andrea Vavassori bounced back in the sixth game and clinched it by 40-15 to equalize the first set 3-3.
The Indo-Australian duo maintained their dominance in the first set. In the ninth match, the duo comfortably dominated the Italian pair and claimed a win with a scoreline of 40-15.
After a long, thrilling battle, the duo of Bopanna and Ebden won the first set of the men's doubles final. After taking the game in a tie-breaker, Bopanna and Ebden produced a dominating performance to claim the first set by 7-6.
After losing the first set, the duo of Bolelli and Vavassori got off to a good start in the first game as the Italian pair comfortably dominated Bopanna and Ebden and registered a scoreline of 40-15, to take a 1-0 lead in the second set.
The second set turned out to be a thrilling encounter, just like the first one. In the ninth game, Bolelli and Vavassori gave a dominating performance as Bopanna and Ebden failed to give a counterattack. However, the blistering Indo-Australian duo made a fine comeback and wrapped up the second set by 7-5, winning maiden Australian Open men's doubles title.