French Open: Rohan Bopanna, Matthew Ebden breeze into semis with emphatic win, set up Australian Open's men's doubles final rematch

Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden are one victory away from a French Open 2024 men's doubles final. The Indo-Australian duo battled their way to the semifinals on Wednesday, June 5. After a thrilling encounter on Court Suzanne Lenglen, they defeated Sander Gille and Joran Vilegen with a scoreline of 7-6 (7-3), 5-7, 6-1. 

Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden to meet old foe in French Open semis

The hard-fought match lasted just over 2 hours and 4 minutes. This win sets up an intriguing rematch for Bopanna and Ebden. In the semifinals, they'll face Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori of Italy. This isn't the first time these two pairs will meet on a big stage. Back in January, Bopanna and Ebden emerged victorious in the Australian Open men's doubles final, defeating Bolelli and Vavassori convincingly (7-6 (7-0), 7-5). 

There's even more motivation for Bopanna. A win in the French Open would mark his second title at the tournament, following his mixed doubles victory in 2017. With his sights set on another French Open trophy, Bopanna and Ebden will be looking to carry their momentum into the semifinals.

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Rohan Bopanna and his Australian partner, Matthew Ebden, have had a mixed bag of results against their upcoming French Open semifinal opponents, Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori. In the Miami Open, the Indo-Australian duo came out on top in a tight battle, winning 4-6, 7-6 (10-4). However, Bolelli and Vavassori exacted revenge in the Italian Open, defeating Bopanna and Ebden in straight sets (6-2, 6-4).

Bopanna's French Open campaign hasn't been entirely smooth sailing either. He and his mixed doubles partner, Veronika Kudermetova, were unfortunately ousted in the first round. The men's doubles, however, has been a different story. Despite facing a close call against Sriram Balaji in the third round, Bopanna's experience shone through, helping him and Ebden secure a spot in the semifinals.

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Looking beyond the French Open, Bopanna has a busy schedule ahead. He'll be teaming up with Balaji again for the men's doubles competition at the Paris Olympics later this year. This news comes after a historic feat for Bopanna earlier in 2024. He achieved the remarkable distinction of becoming the oldest player to ever reach the World No. 1 ranking in doubles, receiving widespread acclaim for his accomplishment.

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