US Open 2024: Rohan Bopanna-Matthew Ebden Bows Out Of Men’s Doubles In Pre-Quarters

New Delhi: India’s Rohan Bopanna and his partner Matthew Ebden bowed out of the US Open Men’s doubles event on Monday, September 2, following their straight-sets defeat at the hands of Maximo Gonzalez and Andrés Molteni. The pair was defeated 1-6, 5-7 in the pre-quarterfinals, thus bringing their campaign to an end.
In what was a very one-sided opening set, the Argentine combine of Maximo Gonzalez and Andrés Molteni broke Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden twice to take the set 6-1. A set down, Bopanna and Ebden held on to their service games to reach 5-5 in the second set but Gonzalez and Molteni made sure of the crucial break in the 11th game with a winner backhand volley.
Gonzalez and Molteni closed out the second set in the next game as Bopanna and Ebden faltered with a backhand forced error, leading to their exit from the tournament. The Argentine pair advanced to the quarterfinals, where they will face the German duo of Tim Pütz and Kevin Krawietz.
Bopanna and Ebden had earlier suffered a second-round exit at Wimbledon, losing to Hendrik Jebens and Constantin Frantzen. The third seeds had begun the year in high note after claiming the men’s doubles title at the Australian Open, where 43-year-old Bopanna became the oldest man to win a Grand Slam title. They could not carry forward the momentum as they lost to Italian pair of Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori at Roland Garros.
Meanwhile, Bopanna and Ebden’s paths will cross again at the US Open, but this time as opponents in the mixed doubles quarterfinals. Ebden, paired with Czech player Barbora Krejcikova, will face Bopanna and Aldila Sutjiadi. Given their familiarity with each other’s strengths and weaknesses, both players will be keen to exploit any advantage as they pursue the mixed doubles title.