Matt Ebden and John Peers are the last Australians standing at Roland Garros after defeating German pair Dominik Koepfer and Jan-Lennard Struff in the men’s doubles quarterfinals.
Paris, France, 1 August 2024 | tennis.com.au
World No.3 Matt Ebden and John Peers are through to the men’s doubles semifinals after defeating Germany’s Dominik Koepfer and Jan-Lennard Struff 7-6(2) 7-6(4) at Roland Garros on Wednesday.
The unseeded Aussie pair is now one win from an Olympic tennis medal.
“For us to put our best foot forward for the first couple of matches is fantastic,” Peers said. “We’re enjoying being here and thriving in the moment. We’re ready to keep going.”
Ebden said the while the Germans kept clawing back, they toughed it out and played the big moments better.
“They played super well. Dom is seeing the ball like a watermelon. He was zoning, swinging from the hip, left, right and centre,” he said. “And Struffy is one of the best doubles players in the world, he plays huge.”
One step closer to a medal 💪
Matt Ebden and John Peers are through to the men’s doubles semifinals after defeating Germany’s Dominik Koepfer and Jan-Lennard Struff 7-6(2) 7-6(4)#AllezAUS #Paris2024 #Olympics #tennis pic.twitter.com/98Hm0bL2G3
— TennisAustralia (@TennisAustralia) August 1, 2024
The pair has a day off on Thursday and will return on Friday to compete in the semifinals where they will meet American third seeds Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul or British duo Andy Murray and Daniel Evans.
“It’s another good step, another stepping stone. We made no secret of our goal, we want to win,” Ebden said. “That’s why we are here. It’s another step in the right direction.”
Alexei Popyrin’s campaign came to an end in the third round after the Australian fell to reigning Olympic champion, third-seeded German Alexander Zverev.
Popyrin was up a break in the first set before the momentum shifted and Zverev prevailed 7-5 6-3 on Court Suzanne-Lenglen.
“I’m disappointed. I felt like if I got that first set it could have been anyone’s match,” Popyrin said. “I felt like I was playing quite well up until that point. I was dictating, I was doing everything we set out to do with Lleyton.
“My serve is probably my biggest weapon, and it gave way in the most important moments.”
> READ: Popyrin stops triple major champion to reach Olympics third round
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