2-0, the Australian Open gave birth to another crown, and the Indian 43-year-old veteran finally realized his dream and set a record, and the audience cheered
On the evening of January 27, in the men's doubles final of the 2024 Australian Open, the Popana/Abden combination faced Bollery/Vavasori, and finally won the championship with a score of 2-0, becoming one of the highlights of this Australian Open. The match not only saw the joy of Bopana's first Grand Slam doubles title, but also set a series of all-time records that added to their careers.
As the No. 2 seeds in the tournament, Bopana/Abden showed excellent chemistry and strength during the Australian Open, becoming strong contenders for the men's doubles world No. 1. The 43-year-old Indian veteran Popana, who is part of the pair, will become the oldest ever Grand Slam men's doubles champion. It was also a new breakthrough in the open era, and it allowed Popana to write his career in an even more brilliant way.
Throughout the Australian Open, Popana/Abden successfully eliminated the No. 14 seeds, No. 6 seeds and Zhang Zhizhen in the men's doubles event, and reached the Grand Slam finals back-to-back. Their opponents, Boleri/Vavasori, are unseeded but have been on the verge since they started their partnership in June last year, beating the No. 13 and No. 8 seeds all the way to the final this year.
In the first set of the match, the two sides fought fiercely from the beginning, each holding serve. In the fourth game, Boleri/Vavasori saved break points and managed to hold serve to draw 2-2. After that, the two sides were locked in a back-to-back hold battle, until the 11th game, when Popana/Abden struggled to hold serve and lead 6-5. However, Boleri/Vavasori also held serve to make it 6-6. In the tie-break, the Popana pair won 7-0 cleanly and took a 1-0 lead.
In the second set, the two sides still clung to the score, and the first eight games were tied at 4-4. In the crucial 9th game, the Bolleri combination narrowly won and held serve for a 5-4 lead. In the 10th game, Popana's serve game also managed to hold on, forcing the score to a 5-5 draw. In the 11th game, the Pophana duo seized the opportunity to break back-to-back serve to take a 6-5 lead. In the end, in the next service game, with a score of 7-5, the Popana/Abden combination successfully won the championship and locked the big score at 2-0.
The Australian Open Men's Doubles final was not only a great match, but also a milestone in Popana's career. Not only did he win his first Grand Slam doubles title, but at the age of 43 he became the oldest ever Grand Slam men's doubles champion, breathing new life into the history of tennis in the open era.
Returning to the court after 27 months! On the day Zheng Qinwen won the runner-up at the Australian Open, another Zheng surnamed Jinhua made a comeback
At the same time as the Australian Open runner-up Zheng Qinwen made a personal breakthrough, another player surnamed Zheng of the Chinese tennis golden flower quietly made a comeback and ushered in his debut in more than two years. Zheng Saisai played as a wild card in the first round of the WTA 250 Hua Hin qualifier against world number 151 Tikhonnova.
In the first set, Zheng Saisai was broken by his opponent in the fifth game, lost serve again in the seventh game, and then broke his opponent's serve in the eighth game to win the set, but lost four points in a row in the ninth game and was broken again, and finally lost 3-6. In the fifth game of the second set, Zheng Saisai took the lead in breaking serve, and in the sixth game, the opponent quickly completed the break. In the ninth game, she broke serve again, but missed three set points in the 10th game and was broken by her opponent and eventually lost 5-7. It was Zheng's first appearance on the tour in almost 27 months, with her last competitive event coming in Linz in November 2011. Zheng Saisai has been on a waiver card due to a wrist injury, and she tried to make a comeback at the Australian Open early last year, but her physical condition was not up to standard, and she had to continue to recuperate.
Zheng Saisai was once the representative of China's Golden Flower, and his highest ranking was 34th in the world. She reached two Tour finals and won her first WTA 500 tournament title in San Jose in 2019. In doubles, Zheng has reached the final 13 times, including the 2019 French Open, and won a total of five titles.
This comeback attempt marks a momentous moment for Zheng, and her tenacity and determination in the match are impressive. Despite the disappointing loss on her debut, it was an important step after a long period of recovery and a new hope for her future career on tour.
After a 27-month wait, Zheng Saisai is back on the court after a waiver, and her comeback is both a reward for her past efforts and a positive sign for the development of tennis in China. Zheng Saisai's future performance will be highly anticipated, and her comeback on the tour will surely inject new vitality and impetus into Chinese tennis.
Whether it is Zheng Qinwen, the runner-up at the Australian Open, or Zheng Saisai, who is making a comeback for the first time, Chinese tennis is ushering in a new wave of impact. This also shows that Chinese players are gradually emerging in international competitions, bringing more expectations for the future development of Chinese tennis. We look forward to Zheng Saisai continuing to achieve better results in future tournaments and winning glory for Chinese tennis.
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