Indian Wells, California: The reigning BNP Paribas Open Men’s Doubles champions, Rohan Bopanna (IND) and Matthew Ebden (AUS), return to the desert tournament this year looking to retain their title.
Bopanna and Ebden enjoyed a remarkable run at the 2023 BNP Paribas Open, culminating in a thrilling victory over top seeds Neal Skupski (GBR) and Wesley Koolhof (NED) in the final. The duo clinched the championship in a dramatic 10-point tiebreaker, solidifying their position as a formidable force in doubles play. This win also cemented Bopanna’s place in history as the oldest ATP Masters 1000 champion ever.
Continuing their success, Bopanna and Ebden etched their names further into the record books by claiming a historic victory at the Australian Open earlier this year. This triumph secured Bopanna’s position as the oldest male player to win a Grand Slam title. Their partnership remained strong, reaching the quarterfinals at the Dubai Open before falling to Ariel Behar (URU) and Adam Pavlasek (SVK) 6-3 3-6 8-10.
The 2024 edition of the BNP Paribas Open presents Bopanna and Ebden with a challenging draw, placing them in the top half of the bracket alongside formidable pairs like fourth seeds Neal Skupski (GBR) / Santiago Gonzalez (MEX), fifth seeds Marcel Granollers (ESP) / Horacio Zeballos (ARG), and eighth seeds Jamie Murray (GBR) / Michael Venus (NZL).
As the defending champions and the world’s number one ranked doubles team, Bopanna and Ebden are undoubtedly contenders for the title. Their experience, strategic prowess, and unwavering determination will be key assets as they navigate this competitive field and strive to defend their championship at the BNP Paribas Open. Their projected path to the finals is:
Interestingly, the draw also has many top singles players: Alexander Zverev, Hubi Hurkacz, Cameron Norrie, Grigor Dimitrov and Felix Auger-Aliassime, so there may be some surprises.