Matt Ebden and his Indian tennis partner Rohan Bopanna will attempt to claim the men’s Australian Open doubles trophy for the first time when they face unseeded Italian duo Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori in the final on Saturday.
The second seeds progressed through to the decider after recording a tough three-set victory over Tomas Machac and Zhang Zhizhen in the semi-final.
Matthew Ebden and Rohan Bopanna in men's doubles Australian Open final
The 6-3 3-6 7-6(7) win propels Ebden and Bopanna through to their second successive Grand Slam appearance as a pair after they also reached the decider of the US Open last year.
MORE: Rohan Bopanna-Matt Ebden LIVE score, highlights and updates from Australian Open men's doubles final
The match will mark the second time that Ebden has reached the Australian Open final in men’s double after he also did so in 2022.
The 36-year-old joins some illustrious company as he becomes only the fifth Australian to reach multiple men’s doubles finals at his home tournament, alongside Todd Woodbridge – who did so on four occasions - Mark Woodforde, John Peers and Max Purcell.
Ebden and Bopanna are experienced in reaching the doubles final throughout their careers, however the Aus Open 2024 game against the Italians possibly represents Bopanna’s best opportunity to win his first major title.
Meanwhile, a win this weekend could be Ebden’s second Grand Slam, following his Wimbledon triumph two years ago alongside Purcell.
Regardless of the result, Ebden and the 43-year-old will be crowned the oldest No.1 pairing in history when the ATP Tour doubles rankings are released next week.
“I’ve just got to hand it to my partner,” the Australian said following the semi-final win.
“We’ve been fighting since round one - a lot of tough moments, fighting through one by one.
“I’m proud of my partner. We’ve been working hard for over a year now together so one more match to fight through.”
When will Matt Ebden and Rohan Bopanna play in the men’s doubles final?
Ebden and Bopanna will take centre stage at Rod Laver Arena on Saturday, January 27, following the women’s singles decider between Aryna Sabalenka and Qinwen Zheng which concluded at 9pm AEDT.
How to watch Australian Open men's doubles final: TV channel, streaming
The Nine Network will broadcast the doubles final on their primary free-to-air channel, Channel 9.
Fans can live stream the clash on subscription service Stan Sport or free platform 9Now.