For a scratch combination playing their first ever tournament together, Rohan Bopanna and Ramkumar Ramanathan made a spectacular debut on the ATP Tour, winning the Adelaide International doubles title on Sunday.
The Indian combination defeated the seasoned duo of Brazilian Marcelo Melo and Ivan Dodig of Croatia 7-6 (6), 6-1 in an hour and 22 minutes in the final of the $417,000 hard-court event.
Bopanna and Ramkumar had just played one match before going into the tournament — during the Davis Cup tie against Finland last year, which they lost.
Dodig and Melo have 51 titles between them — both have two Grand Slam doubles trophies each to their names — and more than $15 million in combined career prize money.
For the Indians, the partnership came by chance. France's Edouard Roger-Vasselin, Bopanna's partner for the season, withdrew for the week as he got picked for the ATP Cup.
The Indian had boarded the flight to Melbourne from Dubai when he received a message from his partner.
Luckily for the 41-year-old Bangalorean, his compatriot was on the same flight, headed for the Australian Open qualifying.
"I requested him if he wanted to come to Adelaide and play a week of doubles. I think it worked out well. Couldn't have asked for a better week for both of us," Bopanna said after the victory.
It was Bopanna's fifth title playing with a countryman — two with Mahesh Bhupathi and one each with Divij Sharan and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan — and his 20th overall.
"Winning with an Indian is always special. We are just a handful of players playing tennis from the country, trying to get ourselves competing at the best tournaments across the globe. Anytime I play with somebody from India, it's really, really special," he said.
The title will be more significant for Ramkumar.
"I don't think we lost serve all week, all of the tournament," said the 27-year-old from Chennai, who ended up playing six matches, including the one in singles qualifying.
Ramkumar was his usual dominant self with his serve, which his partner found out to stunning effect after being hit on the ear early on in the match.
"I really felt Ram's serve today in my ear, so I know how hard it comes through," Bopanna quipped.
