Reigning Australian Open champions Matt Ebden and India’s Rohan Bopanna maintain their unbeaten record in Grand Slam matches this season.
Paris, France, 3 June 2024 | Leigh Rogers
Matt Ebden and Indian partner Rohan Bopanna have made a winning start to their Roland Garros 2024 men’s doubles campaign.
However, the second seeds and reigning Australian Open champions needed more than two hours and three sets to fend off a spirited challenge from Brazilian alternates Orlando Luz and Marcelo Zormann.
Originally scheduled for Tuesday, this match was pushed back to Sunday as inclement weather in Paris caused havoc to the schedule.
World No.3 Ebden and world No.4 Bopanna, who have each enjoyed stints at world No.1 since their title-winning run in Melbourne earlier this year, managed to eventually score a hard-fought 7-5 4-6 6-4 victory.
It is a welcome result for 36-year-old Ebden, snapping a seven-match losing streak in men’s doubles matches at Roland Garros.
Meanwhile, Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson have earned a spot in the third round with a three-set victory against the seventh seeds, Wesley Koolhof of the Netherlands and Nikola Mektic of Croatia.
With their rain-delayed second-round match resuming early in the deciding set, the Aussie pair managed to run out 4-6 6-4 6-4 victors against one of the world’s best teams this season.
World No.9 Koolhof and world No.22 Mektic have won three ATP doubles titles so far in 2024, a feat only matched by their conquerors.
Jordan Thompson and Max Purcell in action at Roland Garros 2024. Picture: Tennis Australia
This result improves 26-year-old Purcell and 30-year-old Thompson’s enviable team record this season to 18 wins from their 21 matches.
It also equals their career-best doubles results at Roland Garros. World No.33 Purcell is through to the third round for a second time, having previously made this stage in 2021 alongside Luke Saville. World No.36 Thompson has also made the third round once before, partnering Nick Kyrgios, during his debut in 2017.
They’ll next face the Australian Open 2024 finalists, Italian duo Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori.
John Peers brushed aside the disappointment of a second-round exit in the men’s doubles competition alongside Roman Safiullin, after losing to last year’s finalists Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen.
Peers, a former world No.2 in doubles, returned later in the day to score a 6-1 6-4 first-round win in mixed doubles…
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