(Tennis News) Rohan Bopanna is poised to ascend to the pinnacle as the World No. 1 in men’s doubles, following his advancement to the Australian Open semifinals alongside partner Matthew Ebden on Wednesday. At 43, Bopanna will surpass the age record set by USA’s Rajeev Ram, who achieved the top-ranking position at 38 in October 2022.
In a quarterfinal match lasting an hour and 46 minutes, Rohanand Ebden convincingly defeated the sixth-seeded Argentine pair, Máximo González and Andrés Molteni, with a straight-set victory of 6-4, 7-6 (5). The upcoming challenge for Bopanna and Ebden involves facing the unseeded duo of Tomas Machac and Zhizhen Zhang.
This achievement will make Rohan the fourth Indian, joining the ranks of Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi, and Sania Mirza, to attain the prestigious world number one rank in doubles. Expressing his pride and gratitude after the quarterfinal triumph, Bopanna emphasized the consistent and remarkable journey over the past 20 years.
Acknowledging the significance of the milestone, Bopanna remarked, “It’s an extremely amazing and proud feeling. It probably hasn’t sunk in fully yet, but still, credit to the entire team.” He went on to thank the supporters and described this accomplishment as his way of giving back to Indian tennis.
In response to this historic moment, fellow Indian tennis player Sumit Nagal congratulated Bopanna, stating, “World No.1 looks good on you, Bopsy. Thanks for always inspiring us.” Bopanna’s storied career includes claiming the mixed doubles title at the French Open in 2017 with Canada’s Gabriela Dabrowski. While he has been a runner-up in men’s doubles at Grand Slam events twice before, this achievement solidifies his status as a tennis icon.
It’s worth noting that Bopanna holds the distinction of being the oldest player to secure a men’s doubles title at a Masters 1000 event, achieving this feat at the age of 43 in 2023 when he and Ebden triumphed at the prestigious Indian Wells tournament.
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