Veteran Indian tennis player Rohan Bopanna is all set to create history once again as he's on course to become the oldest men's doubles tennis player to be ranked number one, when the rankings update on Monday.
Earlier on Wednesday morning, Bopanna, along with his doubles partner Matt Ebden entered the men's doubles semifinal of the Australian which means he has now accumulated enough points to reach the top of the rankings, at the age of 43.
The second-seed Indo-Aussie pair defeated the sixth-seed Argentine duo Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) at the Margret Court Arena.
The quarterfinal win propels Bopanna ahead of the current World No. 1, USA's Austin Krajicek, in the ATP Rankings. Krajicek, alongside his Croatian partner Ivan Dodig, bowed out in the second round at Melbourne Park.
Bopanna and Ebden will next take on the Czech-Chinese pair of Tomas Machac and Zhizhen Zhang in the semifinals.
Last year the Indian ace became the oldest man to qualify for a Grand Slam final in the Open era, when he and Ebden reached the final of the US Open final, where they were defeated. In addition to their run at the US Open, the pair reached the final at four ATP Masters tournaments and appeared at the ATP Finals in Turin.
Bopanna additionally boasts the distinction of being the oldest player to clinch a men's doubles title at a Masters event. This achievement was accomplished last year at the age of 43 when he, along with Ebden, emerged victorious at Indian Wells.
(With inputs from IANS)
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