With the win on Court 3, Bopanna, playing his 17th consecutive tournament at Melbourne Park, made the semifinals at the Australian Open for the first time ever.
India’s grand old man of tennis, Rohan Bopanna, on Wednesday, added another feather to his already-crammed hat as the 43-year-old has been assured of becoming the oldest first-time World No. 1 in ATP men’s doubles ranking following his stellar 6-4, 7-6 (5) win in the men’s doubles quarterfinals of 2024 Australian Open alongside Australia’s Matthew Ebden against Argentinian duo of Máximo González and Andrés Molteni. The Indian tennis ace claimed the brand-new record by surpassing Rajeev Ram of the USA, who had climbed atop in October 2022, at the age of 38, for the first time in his career, swapping places with partner Joe Salisbury of Great Britain.
Following a brief delay at the end of the third game, as bubbles were spotted on the court due to overnight rain in Melbourne, the Indo-Aussie pair closed out the opening set in just over half an hour. After breaking Gonzalez’s serve in the fifth game, Bopanna comfortably served out the first set, winning it 6-4.(HT)