Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury made history at the US Open on Friday when they became the first team in the Open Era (since 1968) to win three straight doubles titles at the hard-court major.
The American-British pair produced a hard-fought display to earn a comeback 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory against Matthew Ebden and 43-year-old Rohan Bopanna, who was the oldest Grand Slam doubles finalist in the Open Era.
Ram and Salisbury have now won their past 18 matches in New York, having triumphed at the event in 2021 and 2022. They have clinched four major titles together, also lifting the 2020 Australian Open trophy.
“I have been lucky enough to come here every year since I was 14 and I remember the Arthur Ashe Kids Day the first day this stadium opened in I think 1997, with John McEnroe and Pete Sampras,” Ram said during the trophy ceremony. “Just to be out here, I have tonnes of family here and the whole team in the box. It is something I could never have thought of in my wildest dreams and I have got to thank so many people, but especially my partner.
“This is our fifth year together. It hasn’t been the best year together but we stuck it out and put in a lot of hard work and kept believing. It was pretty emotional after yesterday’s win but today I can’t believe we are here.”
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Prior to the US Open, the third seeds had endured a modest season by their standards, holding a 20-16 record on the year. However, Ram and Salisbury found their best level once again in New York, defeating seeds Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni and Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek en route to the title. They are up 10 spots to sixth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings.
“This partnership is really special. It has been five years and we have got pretty close,” Salisbury said. “Especially on the court and we know we are going to give it our all. Fight hard and give it our best until the very end. That is what we did today.”
Competing in the 32-degree heat on Arthur Ashe Stadium, Ram and Salisbury improved on return as the two-hour, four-minute clash went on. They consistently found the feet of Bopanna and Ebden and swarmed the net themselves to pressure their opponents. The American-British team saved all four break points they faced in the second and third sets, converting two of their opportunities to seal victory.
Despite defeat, Bopanna showed great sportsmanship at 2-4 in the third set. At 15/15, with Ebden serving, the Australian’s forehand grazed Bopanna’s right arm for a winner. The umpire did not notice the infringement, but the Indian called a foul on himself, moving Ram and Salisbury 15/30 ahead in the game.
“Rohan and I are real close and that act of sportsmanship today, what he did out on the court. We have been playing for the better part of 20, 25 years on Tour together and I have never seen anything like that,” Ram said. “Especially in a moment like that because we would have had no idea. It just shows what kind of guy he is and how deserving he is to at this point in his career playing for these kinds of titles. You are an inspiration to all of us.”
Bopanna was aiming to clinch his maiden major trophy, having also lost in the US Open final in 2010 with Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi. Ebden, 35, was seeking his second Grand Slam crown after winning the title at Wimbledon in 2022 alongside Max Purcell.