Rohan Bopanna and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan topped Indian countrymen Purav Raja and Divij Sharan 6-3, 6-4 to win the Aircel Chennai Open doubles title on Sunday. It was the first all-Indian final at the ATP World Tour 250 tournament in 22 years.
“I loved the moment, it was great,” said Nedunchezhiyan. “In my backyard… being in the final, not being seeded, it’s already a great start to the season.”
Bopanna/Nedunchezhiyan saved four of the six break points they faced and won 86 per cent of their first serve points to claim victory and the title in 65 minutes. This was just their second event as a team after a quarter-final showing in Chengdu last fall (l. to Shamasdin/Siljestrom). They are the first all-Indian duo to win the Chennai crown since 2011 (Mahesh Bhupathi/Leander Paes).
The champions beat Marcelo Demoliner/Nikola Mektic in the first round, saved three match points to defeat James Cerretani/Philipp Oswald in the quarter-finals and ousted fourth seeds Nicholas Monroe/Artem Sitak in the semi-finals before claiming the crown. They will split $24,240 in prize money and 250 Emirates ATP Doubles Team Ranking points.
“They put a lot of pressure on us. We had to play smart,” said Bopanna. “It’s great to start the year with a title. It’s a positive sign I’m headed in the right direction and I’m looking forward to the coming season.”
The 36-year-old Bopanna has now won 15 doubles titles, while Nedunchezhiyan’s previous best result was a semi-final showing in Chennai last year with Somdev Devvarman (l. to Krajicek/Paire).
As runners-up, Raja/Sharan will split $12,740 in prize money and 150 Emirates ATP Doubles Team Ranking points.