Ram and Salisbury win record third straight U.S. Open men's doubles
title
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[September 09, 2023]
NEW YORK (Reuters) -American Rajeev Ram and Britain's Joe
Salisbury rallied from a set down to beat India's Rohan Bopanna and
Australian Matthew Ebden 2-6 6-3 6-4 on Friday to win an Open-era
record third straight U.S. Open men's doubles title.
The third seeds dropped their rackets and embraced in the middle of
the court after Ebden's return landed in the net on match point to
complete the comeback and extend their winning streak at Flushing
Meadows to 18 matches.
"I've got to thank my partner," Ram said during the trophy ceremony,
where they collected a winner's check for $700,000.
"This is our fifth year together. It hasn't been the best of seasons
but we stuck it out, put in a lot of hard work and just kept
believing. I can't believe we're here. Thanks for that, man. You're
unbelievable."
Salisbury called the partnership "special".
"We just know we're going to give it our all. We're going to compete
hard, fight hard and do our best until the very end. And that's what
we did today," he said. "We're just really proud of the effort that
we put in today."
Sixth-seeded Bopanna and Ebden dominated the first set, breaking
serve in the opening game and capturing it with a love hold.
They appeared to be carrying the momentum into the second set when
the 43-year-old Bopanna raced across court and ripped a one-handed
backhand winner down the line in the third game.
But Ram raised his level and the duo finally broke serve when
Bopanna's forehand sailed long for a 4-2 second set lead before they
levelled the contest with a Ram ace out wide.
[to top of second column] |
Tennis - U.S. Open - Flushing Meadows, New York, United States -
September 8, 2023 Britain's Joe Salisbury and Rajeev Ram of the U.S.
kiss the trophy as they celebrate after winning the men's double
final against Australia's Matthew Ebden and India's Rohan Bopanna
REUTERS/Mike Segar
Bopanna's aggressive forehand landed wide to hand
Ram and Salisbury a break and a 3-2 lead in the decider that they
would not relinquish on a hot and humid day at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The last pair to win three straight U.S. Open men's doubles titles
were Tom Bundy and Maurice McLoughlin from 1912-1914.
Bopanna, who showed remarkable sportsmanship when he told the chair
umpire to give a point to his opponents after speaking up to say
that Ebden's winner had grazed his elbow in the third set, said
having the right mindset was the key to his longevity.
"The minute someone has limitations, when you think that's the
maximum you can do, if you change those limitations to
possibilities, that's when you can push all of your limits," he
said.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in San Francisco; Editing by Toby Davis
and Ken Ferris)
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