Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden came back from one set down to beat Ivan Dodig and Austin Kraijcek 6-7 (3-7) 6-3 10-6 after 1 hour and 43 minutes in the final of the Miami Open inside Hard Rock Stadium.
Bopanna and Ebden have lifted their second ATP Masters 1000 title as a team after their 2023 triumph in Indian Wells. Bopanna has won six ATP Masters 1000 titles in his career.
“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 1000s and the Grand Slams. It’s good to keep that record going and keep giving everyone else a run for their money”, said Bopanna.
The Indian and Australian team won 78% of points of points behind their first serves and saved seven of eight break points they faced in the match.
Bopanna and Ebden earned three set points on serve at 6-5 in the first set, but Dodig and Kraijcek fended them off to force a tie-break.
Dodig and Kraijcek went up a 3-0 lead with two mini-breaks. Bopanna and Ebden pulled back on serve to draw level to 3-3. Dodig and Kraijcek won four consecutive points to claim the tie-break 7-3.
Bopanna and Ebden converted their only break point in the second game and held on their next service games to win the second set 6-3.
Bopanna and Ebden opened up a 4-2 lead with a mini-break on the fifth point. Dodig and Kraijcek won four consecutive points with two mini-breaks to take a 6-4 lead, but Bopanna and Ebden reeled off the final six points to win the Match tie-break 10-6.
Bopanna and Ebden improved their record to 14 wins to 3 defeats. They levelled their head-to-head series with Dodig and Krajicek at 1-1.
Bopanna and Ebden reclaimed their position at the top of the men’s doubles ranking.
“It’s tough. These guys fight back in tough moments. 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”, said Ebden.
Bopanna improved his own record set at Indian Wells last year where he had become the oldest ATP Masters 1000 champion at the age of 43.
