US Open 2023: Rohan Bopanna-Matthew Ebden fall short in doubles final against Rajeev Ram-Joe Salisbury

Indian tennis player Rohan Bopanna and his Australian partner Matthew Ebden fell short of winning the US Open 2023 men's doubles title after losing the final to USA’s Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury of Great Britain in New York on Friday.

Competing on the hard courts of the Arthur Ashe Stadium, Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Edben, seeded sixth, lost to third seeds Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury 6-2, 3-6, 4-6 in exactly two hours. With this victory, Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury became the first men’s doubles team at the US Open to achieve a three-peat in more than 90 years.

Bopanna and Edben got off to the best start possible, breaking Rajeev Ram’s serve at love. Ebden’s accurate serves and Bopanna’s powerful backhands helped the Indo-Australian duo keep their grip on the first set. They broke Joe Salisbury’s serve in the seventh game and went on to take the 1-0 lead.

Ram and Salisbury came into the second set with spring in their stride. Bopanna and Edben were put under pressure and got broken in the sixth game after hitting a couple of unforced errors on the forehand.

Rajeev Ram wrapped up the set with an ace and took the match into the decider.

Bopanna and Edben found themselves in a hole with 0-40 down in the first game of the third set. However, a perfect Bopanna lob coupled with well-executed forehand shots helped the Indo-Australian pair hold their ground.

Ram and Salisbury had to save three break points to draw level at 2-2. They then broke Bopanna’s serve in the next game to take a 3-2 lead. 

Bopanna and Ebden conceded the opening point in the seventh game as well. They levelled the scores at 15-15 but in a brilliant show of sportsmanship, Bopanna conceded the point as the ball brushed his elbow on the way. Bopanna, however, scored four net points to win the game and stay in the hunt for the title.

Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury, however, stayed resolute to win their third US Open title in a row. 

This was Rohan Bopanna’s second Grand Slam men’s doubles final. The Indian tennis player had reached the men’s doubles final of the US Open with Pakistan’s Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi 13 years ago but the duo lost to the legendary Bryan brothers of the USA.

A 2017 French Open mixed doubles champion, Bopanna is yet to win a men’s doubles Grand Slam. He made it to the mixed doubles final at the Australian Open earlier this year alongside Sania Mirza.

Earlier on Thursday, Rohan Bopanna, at 43 years and six months, became the oldest player to reach a Grand Slam final in the Open era. He beat the previous record of Canada’s Daniel Nestor, who was 43 years and 4 months old when he played in the 2016 Australian Open final.

Bopanna and Ebden just dropped one set from five matches en route to the final. In the semi-finals, they got the better of five-time Grand Slam champions Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert of France in straight sets.

Earlier this year, Rohan Bopanna became the oldest tennis player to win the Masters 1000 title at the Indian Wells tournament. Bopanna and Ebden also won the Qatar Open in February and made the Wimbledon semi-finals in July.