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.
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)
