Matt Ebden is soaring to exciting new heights at Roland Garros this year, advancing to his first men's doubles semifinal at the clay-court Grand Slam tournament.
This continues a magical run for the 36-year-old from Perth and his Indian partner Rohan Bopanna, extending their unbeaten record at Grand Slam level this season to nine matches.
The second-seeded duo were tested early in a quarterfinal showdown with Belgian duo Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen in Paris today. However, Ebden and Bopanna managed to charge home and record a 7-6(3) 5-7 6-1 victory against last year's finalists.
The reigning Australian Open champions lost only nine points on serve in the deciding set, preventing their opponents from building any momentum.
With this effort, Ebden becomes the 29th Australian to advance to a men's doubles semifinal at Roland Garros in the Open era and just the ninth to reach this stage in the past 30 years.
Sam Groth was the last Australian to progress to a men's doubles semifinal in Paris 10 years ago.
| Roland Garros men's doublesAustralian semifinalists in the past 30 years | |
| Player | Year |
| Mark Woodforde | 1996, 1997, 2000 |
| Todd Woodbridge | 1996, 1997, 2000 |
| Pat Rafter | 1998 |
| Sandon Stolle | 2000 |
| Michael Hill | 2001 |
| Wayne Arthurs | 2003 |
| Paul Hanley | 2003 |
| Sam Groth | 2014 |
| Matt Ebden | 2024 |
Italian combination Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori await in the semifinals, setting up a rematch of the Australian Open 2024 doubles final.
This will be the fourth meeting between the two teams this season.
Ebden and Bopanna won their first two encounters, at the Australian Open and Miami. However, world No.23 Bolelli and world No.20 Vavassori had their measure at Rome last month.
World No.3 Ebden is aiming to become the first Australian to progress to a men's doubles final in Paris in 24 years.
It's a remarkable turnaround in form for Ebden at the clay-court tournament, where he had not progressed beyond the first round in doubles since reaching the quarterfinals in 2012.
Meanwhile, this marks the second time in the past three years that the enduring Bopanna has reached the semifinals at Roland Garros. The 44-year-old also featured among the final four in 2022 alongside Dutchman Matwe Middelkoop.
Aussies in action - Roland Garros
RESULTS
Men's doubles, quarterfinals
[2] Matt Ebden (AUS)/Rohan Bopanna (IND) d [10] Sander Gille (BEL)/Joran Vliegen (BEL) 7-6(3) 5-7 6-1
COMING UP
Men's doubles, semifinals
[2] Matt Ebden (AUS)/Rohan Bopanna (IND) v [11] Simone Bolelli (ITA)/Andrea Vavassori (ITA)
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