Indian Wells Masters 2023: Rohan Bopanna wins doubles crown to become oldest ATP Masters champion
Indian Wells Masters 2023: Rohan Bopanna has emerged as champion again, winning the doubles championship with Matt Ebden of Australia. The conquest also made the Indian the oldest victor of the competition.
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FollowRohan Bopanna of India became the most senior ATP Masters 1000 champion after he and his partner, Matt Ebden of Australia, clinched the men's doubles crown at the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden on Saturday. During the final, the 43-year-old Bopanna and Ebden (35) overpowered top-seeded Netherlands' Wesley Koolhof and Britain's Neil Skupski 6-3, 2-6, 10-8.
"Truly special. It's called Tennis Paradise for a reason. I've been, over the years, coming here and seeing all these guys win for so many years. I'm delighted that Matt and I could do this and get this title here. It's been some tough matches, close matches. Today we played against one of the best teams out there. Happy that we got the trophy," voiced Bopanna after playing in his 10th ATP Masters 1000 final.
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In the process, Bopanna exceeded Canada's Daniel Nestor, who had won the 2015 Cincinnati Masters, to become the most-aged champion at 42. "I spoke to Danny Nestor and told him sorry. I'm going to beat his record. Winning the title stays with me, so I'm thrilled with that," he joked.
It was Bopanna's fifth Masters 1000 doubles title and first since he prevailed in Monte Carlo in 2017. It was the third final of the year for the Indo-Australian pair, and the Indian now holds 24 tour-level titles in his wardrobe. The duo dazed defending and two-time desert titlists John Isner and Jack Sock of the United States of America (USA) in the semis while getting the better of singles stars Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov of Canada in the quarterfinal.
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Bopanna and Ebden had dethroned Rafael Matos and David Vega Hernandez in their opening fixture. A former World No. 3, Bopanna flinched four spots to No. 11 in the ATP Live Doubles Rankings.
(With inputs from PTI)
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