US Open 2023 HIGHLIGHTS: Bopanna-Ebden pair beats Herbert-Mahut to reach final

Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden will face the winner of the second semifinal between two-time defending champions Rajeev Ram (USA) and Joe Salisbury (Great Britain), and reigning French Open champions Ivan Dodig (Croatia) and Austin Krajicek (USA)

Begins with a forehand pass to go 15-0 up. Another big serve and Herbert’s backhand return goes long - 30-0. Ace wide into the deuce court - 40-0. Three match points!

Wide serve into the ad court by Ebden and Bopanna puts the overhead away with ease!!!!

Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden beat 2015 champions Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert 7-6(3), 6-2 to reach the US Open final!!!!

Rohan Bopanna (43 years 6 months) becomes the oldest player to reach a men’s doubles final at a Slam in the Open Era.

Bopanna is back in a US Open final 13 years after he and Pakistan’s Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi lost to the Bryan brothers.

Clevel lob return from Bopanna and Mahut nets a backhand volley - 0-15. Herbert moves up to 40-15 but the sixth seeds won’t mind this. Herbert holds.

Bopanna starts strongly and leads 30-0. T ace from the Indian and it is 40-0. Love hold for the sixth seeds. One game away from the final!

Second serve from Mahut and Bopanna hits a sublime backhand return winner down the line - 0-15.

And the sixth seeds are closing in on another break - 40-0. Three break points. Mahut saves two of those.

T serve from Mahut and Ebden hits a brilliant inside-out forehand return winner to break.

And the French pair attacks to get that break back quickly - 30-0 up on the Australian’s serve.

But soon enough, it is 30-all after an overhead smash winner from Bopanna followed by a horrible forehand volley from Herbert on a ball which seemed to be landing wide.

Serve up the T from Ebden, Bopanna finishes the point with a simple smash - 40-30. Ebden nets a forehand shot - deuce.

Big serve from Ebden, Mahut’s chip return lands long. Tricky game but Ebden gets away with it.

Double fault from Herbert and the French pair is 0-30 down. Trouble for the 2015 champions.

Superb crosscourt forehand return winner from Bopanna on a wide serve from Herbert. Three break points for the sixth seeds.

And they don’t need to do anything as Herbert commits another double fault.

T ace for Bopanna. Follows it up with a double fault - 15-all.

Another big serve down the T from Bopanna, Ebden closes the point with an overhead smash - 30-15. Ace wide into the ad court for Bopanna. The Indian holds serve.

The French pair serves first in the second set. Mahut races to 40-0 lead quickly. Love hold for the 41-year-old.

Wide service from Bopanna draws a heavy forehand return from Mahut - 1-0. Miscommunication between Herbert and Mahut on Bopanna’s lob return and Herbert’s volley never makes it across the net - 2-1. The sixth seeds stretch their lead to 4-1 and keep the mini-break advantage.

The French pair stays within touching distance as Mahut wins the two points on his serve - 4-3 to Bopanna-Ebden.

Big T serve from Bopanna followed by an easy volley for Ebden - 5-3. Another big first serve from Bopanna and Ebden hits a solid overhead smash - 6-3. Three set points.

Second serve from Herbert, Ebden hits the crosscourt backhand return, Herbert lets it go but the ball catches the doubles line!

Bopanna-Ebden pair wins the first set 7-6(3)!

The French pair wins the opening point but the play has been stopped. Mahut, the 41-year-old, looks in some discomfort. Physio has been called. Looks like Mahut is struggling with the heat.

Many players have been complaining about the harsh playing conditions.

Mahut is back up and we are good to go once again. The Frenchman goes up 40-0. Three chances to close the game and take this set to tiebreaker.

Matthew Ebden with a backhand return winner down the line - 15-40. Nevertheless, Mahut closes the game with a T ace.

Confident start from the Australian. Another superb overhead smash to go 30-0 up. Second serve and Mahut hits a backhand return winner down the line - 30-15. Ebden closes the game quickly.

Wide serve from Herbert draws a weak return from Bopanna which barely makes the net. Beautiful backhand volley winner from Herbert to make it 30-0. Make that 40-0. Solid service game so far from Herbert.

Well, a double fault but still the French pair up 40-15. Smart forehand chip return from Bopanna, Herbert overcooks the crosscourt forehand - 40-30.

Ebden sends the forehand return long after Herbert serves one up the T. Herbert holds.

Bopanna up 30-0 in no time. Make that 40-0 as Mahut hits a crosscourt forehand return long after a wide serve from the Indian.

French pair makes it 30-40 but Herbert ends up sending a forehand return long in the baseline rally with Bopanna. Bopanna holds to take the sixth seeds ahead.

Mahut serving with new balls. Begins with a double fault. Superb backhand crosscourt return from Ebden dips in time to make it tough for Mahut to send the volley over the net. Bopanna puts it away easily - 0-30. Clean backhand return from Bopanna and Herbert sends the volley long. Three break points for the sixth seeds.

Double fault from Mahut and the sixth seeds do break. Back on serve.

Ebden serving under pressure. Can’t affort to drop serve now. Great court coverage from the Australian to keep the rally going before Bopanna wins the point with a crosscourt forehand volley.

Brilliant crosscourt backhand winner from Herbert from the baseline - 15-all. Lob from Mahut lands just long - 30-15.

Herbert with another strong return, this time a crunch forehand and Ebden’s volley in response goes long - 30-all.

Easy putaway for Herbet and the French pair has a chance to go up by a double break - 30-40.

T ace from Ebden to force a deuce game. Mahut blasts a forehand bisecting Bopanna and Ebden at the net to earn another chance to break.

Herbert, for once, fumbles a routine forehand return and it is deuce again. Big T serve from Ebden followed by a simple putaway. Ebden holds.

Big serve down the T from Herbert, Bopanna’s backhand return goes wide - 0-15. Herbert commits a double fault and it is 15-all. Herbert holds serve comfortbaly to consolidate the break.

Error from Bopanna as he sends a forehand sailing into the stands - 0-15. Ebden with a solid backhand volley to make it 15-all but the Australian nets an overhead smash in the next rally - 15-30.

Slower second serve from Bopanna and Herbert nets the forehand return - 30-30. Backhand chipped return from Mahut allows Ebden to end the point with an easy putaway - 40-30.

Stunning backhand down the line return winner from Herbert - deuce. Double fault from Bopanna, the Frenchmen have a break point and this time, they do convert as the Indian nets a backhand crosscourt.

Strong start from Mahut - 30-0. Wide serve into the deuce court from the Frenchman and Bopanna smashes a brilliant forehand return winner down the line.

Mahut closes the game with a good, wide second serve.

Bopanna nets a simple forehand volley - 15-all. Ebden wins the next point with an overhead smash to go 30-15 up. Ebden hits a forehand from the baseline which bisects the two Frenchmen and lands in. Bopanna closes the game with a backhand volley hitting Herbert on the other side of the net.

Herbert races to a 30-0 lead in no time. Backhand return down the line from Bopanna, Mahut lets it go and it proves to be a wrong decision as the ball catches some part of the baseline. Lovely angled crosscourt forehand winner from Bopanna to make it 30-all.

Herbert comes back with a T ace - 40-30. Mahut with a good volley to close the game. Herbert holds.

Wide serve into the deuce court from Bopanna, Mahut hits the return right at Bopanna’s feet who hits the groundstroke long. Pressure on the Indian straightaway as he goes down 0-30. First points for the sixth seeds as Mahut nets a crosscourt forehand return from the baseline - 15-30. Herbert closes the net quickly after making the return and draws an error on the volley from Ebden - 15-40. Bopanna saves first break point with a body serve. And the duo saves the second one as well, good first serve from Bopanna followed by an easy putaway for Ebden - deuce.

Great lob by Bopanna after noticing both Frenchmen were at the net. Follows it up with a double fault - deuce again.

Lovely anticipation from Ebden to move across and hit a volley winner. Another double fault for Bopanna and it is deuce again.

Third break point for French pair as Bopanna nets a forehand. Saved - crosscourt backhand return from Herbert lands wide.

Bopanna finally manages to close the game and hold serve.

Here we go then. The two teams step on the court on Louis Armstrong Stadium.

Bopanna-Ebden and Herbert-Mahut have never faced each other.

However, Bopanna has faced the Frenchmen once at Majors when he and Denis Shapovalov won the first round of 2019 US Open.

Ebden too has played against Herbert-Mahut once at Slams, losing in first round in 2018 Australian Open partnering John Millman.

Indian players have won four mixed doubles, four men’s doubles and one women’s doubles titles at Flushing Meadows.

The last title came in 2015 when Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis won the women’s doubles crown, beating Casey Dellacqua and Yaroslava Shvedova in the final.

The French pair had not won a tour-level match this year till they came to New York, a place where they have clinched the title once, in 2015.

Quarterfinal: 7-5, 6-4 against Robert Galloway (USA) and Albano Olivetti (FRA)

Round of 16: 7-6(0), 4-6, 6-4 against Marcel Granollers (ESP) and Horacio Zeballos (ARG)

Round of 32: 6-4, 6-4, against Jamie Murray (GBR) and Michael Venus (AUS)

Round of 64: 6-3, 6-3 against Marton Fucsovics (HUN) and Alexei Popyrin (AUS)

Quarterfinal: 7-6(10), 6-1 against Nathaniel Lammons (USA) and Jackson Withrow (USA)

Round of 16: 6-4, 6-7(5), 7-6(6) against Julian Cash (GBR) and Henry Patten (GBR)

Round of 32: 6-3, 6-3 against Andrey Golubev (KAZ) and Roman Safiullin

Round of 64: 6-4, 6-2 against Christopher O’Connell (AUS) and Aleksandar Vukic (AUS)

At 43 years 6 months, Rohan Bopanna is just one win away from becoming the oldest men’s doubles finalist at a Grand Slam. The record is currently held by Canada’s Daniel Nestor who reached the 2016 Australian Open final at the age of 43 years 2 months.

Bopanna had previously reached his only men’s doubles Grand Slam final at US Open in 2010 with Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi.

The US Open men’s doubles semifinal between Rohan Bopanna-Matthew Ebden and Pierre-Hugues Herbert-Nicolas Mahut will begin at 9:30PM IST. It will be telecast live on Sony Sports network while the live streaming will be available on Sony Liv.