Bopanna And Ebden Master The Miami Open

Matthew Ebden and Rohan Bopanna
Matthew Ebden and Rohan Bopanna (photo: Miami Open/Hard Rock Stadium)

MIAMI/WASHINGTON, March 31, 2024 (by Michael Dickens)

India’s Rohan Bopanna beat his own record and at age 44 has become the oldest winner of an ATP Masters 1000 title.

On Saturday afternoon, top seeds Bopanna and Matthew Ebden of Australia won the Miami Open men’s double crown with a 6-7 (3), 6-3, 10-6 victory over No. 2 seeds Ivan Dodig of Croatia and Austin Krajicek of the United States.

At a set apiece, the Indian/Aussie duo faced a 6-4 deficit in the 10-point match tie-break and proceeded to win the last six points of the one-hour, 42-minute match on Hard Rock Stadium to prevail. They combined to hit six aces, won 78 percent of their first serves, saved seven of eight break points, and converted two of six break-point opportunities. They outpointed their opponents 80-65. The victory leveled the career head-to-head between the two teams at 1-1.

“It’s tough. These guys, they fight back in tough moments,” Ebden said during an on-court interview before the trophy ceremony, describing their battle against Dodig and Krajicek. “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.

“We just tried a different method. We just relaxed and let ourselves play, and just saw what happened. It turned out well.”

Bopanna spoke about the importance of effective serving, which lifted them through three match tie-break victories this week en route to the title. He said: “I think it’s important, especially when we play no-Ad scoring, and Match Tie-breaks. … Every time I hit a serve, I felt it was very accurate, and it’s an extremely important aspect of tennis. Everyone starts a point with that serve, and that’s the only thing we have that we are in control of.”

Bopanna and Ebden, 36, improved to 14-3 this season and are 54-23 as a team since forming their partnership at the start of 2023. Since then, they’ve captured four titles together: Doha and Indian Wells last year, the Australian Open in January and now Miami. Bopanna has won 26 career titles and Ebden 11. The Miami Open crown is Bopanna’s sixth ATP Masters 1000 crown.

By winning the Miami Open title, it enables Bopanna and Ebden to consolidate their position as the No. 1 team in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin. Individually, Bopanna is No. 1 and Ebden No. 2.

As for breaking his own record of being the oldest ATP Masters 1000 champion, Bopanna said: “It’s amazing. As long as you are doing well in these big events, it’s what we play for. I want to do well in the Masters Series and the Grand Slams. It’s good to keep that record going and keep giving everyone else a run for their money.”

Consistency of beating top players motivates Dimitrov

As Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov seeks his second ATP Masters 1000 title on Sunday against World No. 3 Jannik Sinner of Italy at the Miami Open, it’s been nearly seven years since he won his first one at Cincinnati in 2017. This week, though, the World No. 12 Dimitrov has been rewarded for his diligence and effort after beating three straight Top 10 opponents in Hubert Hurkacz, Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev to reach the title match.

When the 32-year-old Dimitrov walks out on court at Hard Rock Stadium, he will be guaranteed a return to the Top 10 in the PIF ATP Rankings for the first time since November 2018.

“For me, what’s better, above all that, is I have been able to put those matches back-to-back,” Dimitrov said after his hard-fought 6-4, 6-7 (4), 6-4 semifinal victory over a Zverev, during his post-match news conference. “I think the consistency of beating top players … is way bigger a success than anything else. If you do that, you get the ranking. If you do that, things are just getting better for you. But in order to do it, it’s where it all comes through.

“The discipline, the hard work, all the dedication, the adjustment to very different players throughout that time, you need to be able to do that on a constant basis. That’s been happening for the past eight, nine, 12 months. It’s been difficult. I had very difficult matches that I have lost, but I kept on believing, kept on doing the work.”

As for Sinner, he’s playing in his third final of the 2024 season and he’s already won titles at the Australian Open and in Rotterdam. After defeating World No. 4 and third seed Daniil Medvedev convincingly 6-1, 6-2 in Friday’s semifinal round, the win advanced the 22-year-old Italian into his third Miami Open final in four years.

Sinner was asked during his post-match news conference what he’s learned about himself. “It’s just to enjoy the moment, because it’s a great day, Sundays, for tennis players,” he said. “If you’re still in tournament, it means that it’s the best day, an exciting day.

“So, I’m just trying to, you know, enjoy this moment.

“For me, it’s the third time that I can play the final here in Miami, which is an amazing achievement for me personally, and then hopefully I can lift once the bigger trophy. If not, it was again a great result, a great opportunity, and that’s it.

“The first time I came here I made final, like, I couldn’t sleep the night. The second time, which was last year, I was relaxed because I went through periods of where I made already, you know, experiences.

“Now I’m a different player, different person. I will handle it hopefully a little bit better again. If I win, good. If not, it’s again a great result.”

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