The dynamic duo of Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden showcased an impressive performance on Friday at Court No. 3, advancing to the third round of the men’s doubles event at the Australian Open 2024.
The pair secured a commanding 6-2, 6-4 victory over John Millman and Edward Winter in a brisk encounter. Their dominance was evident, particularly in first serves, boasting an 80% success rate compared to Millman and Winter’s 68%. With 17 winners and the fastest serve of the match at 203 kmph, Bopanna and Ebden displayed a seasoned prowess.
In the first Grand Slam round, the Indian-Australian pair faced a challenging test from James Duckworth and Marc Polmans. Overcoming obstacles, they sealed a berth in the next round with a 7-6 (5), 4-6, 7-6 (10-2) triumph.
The closely contested match saw both pairs evenly matched, but Bopanna and Ebden secured 114 points, surpassing their Australian counterparts who tallied 110.
Notably, in terms of service points, the duo garnered 80, outperforming their opponents who managed 71.
Elsewhere, Nikola Cacic and Denys Molchanov caused an upset by defeating top seeds Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek 6-4, 6-7(8), 7-6(10-7), advancing to the third round after a thrilling two hours and forty-nine minutes. Despite facing adversity, Cacic and Molchanov emerged victorious in the Match Tie-break, overcoming two lost match points in the second-set tie-break.