Olympics: Ebden & Peers make men’s tennis doubles final
Matthew Ebden and John Peers have become the first Australian tennis players in over two decades to make a doubles final at the Olympics, defeating Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul on Friday in Paris.
The pair booked their spot in the gold medal match with a 7-5, 6-2 victory over the American duo and will play another pairing from the United States, Rajeev Ram and Austin Krajicek, in the final.
The last time an Australian team made the doubles final at the Olympics was in 2000, when Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde claimed silver in Sydney.
Tennis bookmakers are forecasting a similar result for Ebden and Peers, with the two at $2.10 against doubles specialists Krajicek and Ram ($1.66).
Ebden and Peers defy odds to win medal
Regardless of how this weekend’s match unfolds, Ebden and Peers will leave Paris with a medal.
The duo were at long odds to do so, entering the Olympic Games as an unseeded pairing.
Ebden is the higher-ranked of the two, currently ranked No.3 in the world for doubles. Peers, however, is outside the world’s top 50, with a ranking of No.59.
Usually, Ebden combines with India’s Rohan Bopanna, with whom he has won two titles in 2024.
However, Peers has slotted into Bopanna’s role seamlessly. Ebden and Peers are yet to drop a set at the Olympics, seeing off several dangerous teams en route to the final.
Earlier in the tournament, Ebden and Peers dismissed Lebanese duo Hady Habib and Benjamin Hassan 7-6(5), 6-2, before overcoming Spaniards Pablo Carreno Busta and Marcos Granollers 6-2, 7-5.
In their quarter-final, the Aussies ousted the German singles combination of Dominik Koepfer and Jan-Lennard Struff.
Krajicek and Ram, on the other hand, are the team responsible for sending home superstar duo Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal.
The two dispatched the Spaniards 6-2, 6-4 before seeing off the Czech pairing of Tomas Machac and Adam Pavlasek 6-2, 6-2 to make the final.
