‘It’s what we play for’

After clinching men’s doubles title with Matthew Ebden, India’s Rohan Bopanna says doing well in big events keeps him going; reclaims No. 1 spot

Ace Indian tennis player Rohan Bopanna rewrote his own record to continue to be the oldest ATP Masters 1000 champion as he and his Australian partner Matthew Ebden clinched the men’s doubles crown at the Miami Open here.

Continuing their fine run this year, the 44-year-old Bopanna and Ebden fought back from a set down to pull off an exhilarating 6-7(3), 6-3, 10-6 win over Crotia’s Ivan Dodig and American Austin Krajicek at the Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday.

With the win, Bopanna surpassed his record created last year when he won the Indian Wells title at the age of 43, and also reclaimed the top spot in the doubles ranking. “It’s amazing. As long as you are doing well in these big events, it’s what we play for,” Bopanna said after the win.

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Eyes Slam wins

“I want to do well in the Masters 1000s and the Grand Slams. It’s good to keep that record going and keep giving everyone else a run for their money,” added Bopanna, who won his maiden doubles Grand Slam title at the Australian Open earlier this year.

Danielle Collins

This was Bopanna’s 14th ATP Masters 1000 final. Overall, it was the veteran Indian player’s 63rd ATP Tour level final and 26th doubles title. Bopanna also achieved a rare feat as he became the second Indian after Leander Paes to reach the final of all nine ATP Masters events.

Bopanna and Ebden, the top seeds for the tournament, tapped into their deep reservoir of experience to fetch the final six points of the summit clash. They had three set points on serve at 6-5 in the opening set but their second-seeded opponents warded off all three to force a tiebreaker before taking a 1-0 lead.

“It’s tough. These guys, they fight back in tough moments,” said Ebden. “Last time we played them it was similar, it’s a bit of a see-saw. They return so well, make so many balls and we missed one or two shots when we were up [at the end of] the first set. They played a great tie-break, and then we just reset.” Bopanna and Ebden then staged a comeback as they broke their opponent early in the second set which helped them level the game.

Like the opening two sets, the tiebreaker was also fought on an even keel with the reigning Australian Open champions emerging victorious. Following the Australian Open triumph, Bopanna climbed to the world No.1 spot in the ATP rankings, becoming the oldest player to do so. But slipped to the second spot in the doubles rankings after a quarter-final loss at the Dubai Championships and a round-of-32 exit at the Indian Wells Masters.

Collins wins women’s title

Meanwhile, Danielle Collins had the perfect send-off at her final Miami Open, beating Elena Rybakina 7-5, 6-3 to capture the title in her home state before an adoring crowd that included Andre Agassi and Martina Navratilova. The 30-year-old Collins announced at the Australian Open that this season would be her last because she’s suffering from endometriosis, a painful ailment that affects the uterus.

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