Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden beat Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni 6-4, 7-6 (7-3) to advance to the Australian Open 2024 semi-finals. But not before some inexplicable 'bubbles' formed on the court and their match had to be shifted to Margaret Court Arena
It was a delightful morning for Indian sports enthusiasts, as Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden won their quarter-final match against the Argentinian pair of Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni to advance to the Australian Open semi-finals. What made the win extra special was the fact that it confirmed Bopanna's numero uno status in the forthcoming update of the ATP men's doubles rankings. (More Tennis News)
By the end of the tournament, Bopanna will be world number 1 in the category at 43 years old - a record in itself. While this was a cause for celebration, and the match itself was won in straight sets, something that happened en route irked Ebden and took viewers by surprise.
What Happened
The match, which was being played on Court 3, had to be halted at the end of the third game of the first set due to some inexplicable 'bubbles'. Tiny portions of the court surface seemed to be somewhat elevated, bubble-like, which compelled chair umpire Louise Engzell to suspend play and get an inspection underway.
One of the areas where the bubbles had appeared was inside a service box, causing Ebden to say on court, "If the serve hits this, it's a problem."
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The match had to be shifted to the Margaret Court Arena, and eventually resumed there with Bopanna and Ebden going on to emerge victors 6-4, 7-6 (7-3).
Why It Irked Ebden
Ebden later said he had witnessed such a situation at Melbourne Park for the first time in his career. "I've played here since I was 13 years old, 14 years old, in Melbourne at these courts," he said.
"I don't think I've ever seen bubbles in the courts here. Around the world sometimes it happens. But here I've never seen it," Ebden added.
The Australian player said the disruption of momentum was what was irritating. "We wanted to just flatten them and play on. We already started the match. Better to just keep going and we were all warm and playing out there. So a little bit frustrating, I guess … let's just get a clean court and move. It was the best decision, I think. So we moved on and that was it."