At 43, Bopanna takes a Major step
Melbourne, January 27
Rohan Bopanna became only the third Indian to win a men’s doubles Grand Slam title, taking the Australian Open crown with partner Matthew Ebden following a commanding win over Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori here today.
In a high-quality match, second-seeded Bopanna and Ebden won 7-6(0) 7-5 against the Italians in the final that lasted one hour and 39 minutes.
Only Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi have won Major titles for India in men’s tennis, while trailblazer Sania Mirza remains the only Indian woman to achieve the feat. For Bopanna, it is his second Grand Slam title, having won the French Open mixed doubles trophy with Canada’s Gabriela Dabrowski in 2017.
At 43, Bopanna also became the oldest Grand Slam champion in men’s tennis. He bettered the record of Jean-Julien Rojer who, at age of 40, had lifted the French Open men’s doubles trophy in 2022 with Marcelo Arevola.
Bopanna was playing his third men’s doubles final at Grand Slam events.
“A couple of years ago I said in a video message, I am going to call it a day because I was not winning matches. I went five months without winning a match. I thought that was the end of my journey but my perseverance, and (something) inside me kept me going,” Bopanna said. — PTI
Unflappable Sinner takes on Medvedev
Melbourne: One thing people have noticed about Jannik Sinner is how unflappable he’s been on his run to the Australian Open final. And the big smile. In the semifinals against 10-time title-winner Novak Djokovic, who had never lost a match after reaching the last-four in Australia, Sinner won the first two sets quickly, absorbed the 24-time Major champion’s comeback and then won it in four. He didn’t face a break point. He didn’t get ruffled by a noisy Rod Laver Arena crowd, or overawed by the occasion. Or what was on the line: a first Major final. That’s unlikely to change when he takes on 2021 US Open champion Daniil Medvedev, a two-time runner-up at Melbourne Park, in the championship match tomorrow. AP
