Rajeev Ram and Nikola Mektic capped off a sensational run at the Cincinnati Open on Sunday, holding their nerves to beat Lorenzo Musetti and Lorenzo Sonego in the final and claim the men’s doubles title. It was their maiden Masters 1000 trophy as a pair, coming in just their third event of the year after reaching the final together for the first time.
It was a come-from-behind win for Ram and Mektic, who defeated the all-Italian pair 4-6, 6-3, 10-5 in a 90-minute clash. Their comeback was fueled by winning 87 per cent (34/39) of their first serves.
With the win, Ram, at 41 years and four months, became the second-oldest men’s doubles champion in Cincinnati, after 42-year-old Daniel Nestor, who won in 2015 alongside Edouard Roger-Vasselin.
"Tennis, right? Crazy stories. This is our third tournament together, even though we’ve known each other for three decades, probably. Thank you so much, I can't thank you enough, and it was a pleasure playing this week," Mektic said to Ram during the trophy presentation ceremony.
Mektic, meanwhile, won his 11th Masters 1000 title — the most by an active player in men’s doubles. Earlier, on reaching the final, he became the third active doubles player, after Rohan Bopanna and Mate Pavic, to reach finals of all nine ATP Masters 1000 events.
"We’ve known each other a really long time... We've played some great matches against each other. It’s so nice to have him [Mektic] on my side of the net," Ram said.
{{/usCountry}}"We’ve known each other a really long time... We've played some great matches against each other. It’s so nice to have him [Mektic] on my side of the net," Ram said.
{{/usCountry}}The win helped the pair rise 196 spots to No. 25 in the ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings.
Next up for the duo is the US Open, which begins later this month. Ram, a six-time major champion, has won three of his career Slams in New York. Mektic, on the other hand, is a former finalist, having reached the summit clash in 2020 with Wesley Koolhof, losing 5-7, 3-6 to Mate Pavic and Bruno Soares.