India's Rohan Bopanna marked his achievement as the oldest number one in men's doubles history by clinching the Australian Open title alongside his partner Matthew Ebden on Saturday.
The second-seeded duo secured a 7-6 (7/0), 7-5 victory against the unseeded Italian pair Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori on Rod Laver Arena.
This triumph marked their inaugural title as a team, and notably, it was Bopanna's first victory in men's doubles after participating in 60 previous Grand Slams—an unprecedented record for the most attempts before securing a win.
The 43-year-old will officially attain the title of the oldest number one in men's doubles when the new rankings are released next week.
Bopanna had previously clinched a Grand Slam victory at the 2017 French Open in mixed doubles, partnering with Canada's Gabriela Dabrowski.
For Ebden, this marked his second men's doubles title, with his first win occurring at Wimbledon in 2022 alongside fellow Australian Max Purcell.
The eagerly anticipated trophy for Bopanna arrived in his best-ever performance at Melbourne Park. In his 16 previous appearances at the Australian Open, Bopanna's highest achievement was reaching the third round, a feat he accomplished six times, the last being in 2018, before facing a series of consecutive first-round defeats, including one with Ebden in 2023.
On his way to victory, Bopanna, following his triumph in the quarterfinal, was assured of becoming the new world No. 1 in men's doubles come Monday, regardless of the result thereafter. This made him the oldest player ever to claim the crown for the first time in his career.
Despite the result showing a straight-set win for the second-seeded pair, it was a hard-fought battle that included only one break of serve when Bopanna and Ebden broke Vavassori at love in the 11th game of the second set.
Bopanna and Ebden sought an early breakthrough in the contest against an unseeded pair, creating break point opportunities in consecutive games. However, they were denied on both occasions as the opening set headed to a tiebreak.
The Indo-Aussie pair never lost a set decider throughout the fortnight, which included two super tiebreaks. This record remained intact as they won all seven points on offer to take a one-set lead.