US Open 2023: Rohan Bopanna and Matt Ebden storm into men’s doubles semi-finals with straight-sets win

Rohan Bopanna has edged closer to the men’s doubles final at the 2023 US Open.

This is a significant development considering his sole Grand Slam men’s doubles final appearance was in 2010 at the same venue, then partnered with Pakistan’s Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi.

At the 2023 US Open, Bopanna and his Australian men’s doubles partner Matthew Ebden were victorious in their quarter-final clash on Tuesday, winning in straight sets. The pair, currently seeded sixth and previously reaching the semi-finals at Wimbledon 2021, overcame the 15th-seeded American team of Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow, 7-6(10), 6-1.

The match lasted a grueling hour and 28 minutes, a testament to the competitive nature of the game. Lammons and Withrow had previously ousted reigning Wimbledon champions and top seeds Wesley Koohlof and Neal Skupski in an earlier round.

Bopanna and Ebden showed tenacity by saving three set points in the first match before single-handedly carving their path to victory in the second. The semifinal has intriguingly paired them with the French duo of Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert.

The Bopanna-Ebden pair initiated their campaign at Flushing Meadows on a winning note, beating Christopher O’Connell and Aleksandar Vukic of Australia 6-4, 6-2. Subsequent victories over Andrey Golubev and Roman Safiullin, and then over Julian Cash – Henry Patten, have only strengthened their bid for the title.

This year has seen this Indo-Australian pairing bag titles in Doha and Indian Wells, plus reaching finals in Rotterdam and Madrid. As a result, they sit third in the race for the ATP Finals, a prestigious event scheduled from November 12 to 19 in Turin, where the year’s top eight pairs will compete.

Bopanna’s impressive performance augurs well for Indian tennis and puts him within striking distance of achieving another milestone at the US Open after 2010. Now, all eyes are on the upcoming semi-finals clash.