By Richard Paglaro | @TennisNow | Saturday, August 3, 2024
Photograph credit score: Miguel Medina/AFP/Getty
Perth neighbors Matthew Ebden and John Friends rode a red-clay comeback path to strike gold for Australia.
Down a set and a 2-4, Aussie pair Ebden and Friends staged a fierce rally warding off Staff USA’s Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram 6-7(6), 7-6(1), 10-8 to win the Paris Olympic doubles gold medal in a dramatic duel at Roland Garros.
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The Individuals saved three gold-medal factors rallying from 5-9 all the way down to 8-9 within the decisive 10-point match tiebreaker.
Then Friends delivered on the spot redemption.
Friends, who missed a simple point-blank volley on the third match level, got here proper again with an incredible deep volley that caught the baseline earlier than he smashed away the ultimate shot delivering Australia’s first mens’ doubles gold medal in 28 years.
The long-time buddies and neighbors are the primary Aussies to win the doubles gold medals since Mark Woodforde and Todd Woodbridge gained gold on the 1996 Atlanta Video games.
When it was over, the Aussie pair embraced then celebrated with a household group hug hoisting their youngsters within the air.
“It is wonderful to have the household and buddies within the crowd. Matt’s son is right here as effectively,” Friends instructed NBC’s Britney Eurtock afterward. “We bought to share it with our households. Matt and I have been simply saying: We will’t imagine it. It is what we hoped for a number of months in the past, however now it’s a actuality. We’re truly gold medalists.”
It is a gut-wrenching loss for Krajicek and Ram, who constructed a one-set, 4-2 lead and have been two holds from gold.
“You play your coronary heart out to your nation in these moments,” Ram mentioned. “We have been so shut however we couldn’t fairly get it. It’s fantastic to win the silver as a result of I really feel we genuinely gained the silver, however it’s powerful.”
Krajicek and Ram, who knocked off 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal and four-time main title holder Carlos Alcaraz, en path to the gold-medal match fell behind 2-6 within the tremendous tiebreaker and couldn’t fairly shut the hole.
“It’s unimaginable and like Raj mentioned this one hurts so much: there aren’t any phrases to explain it,” Krajicek instructed Britney Eurtock. “We left all of it on the market. We gave ourselves an opportunity on the finish, however that’s tennis.
“It is a depraved sport and hard strategy to make a residing, however it’s nonetheless an honor to be on the market and win the silver.”
Good for Ram and Krajicek and Fritz and Paul, silver and bronze medalists within the males’s doubles at #Paris2024
However nonetheless a disappointing #Olympics in #tennis for Staff USA general with no girls’s medals and no singles medals. I’m stunned#getty pic.twitter.com/ZKhJ7MQ3CS
— Christopher Clarey 🇺🇸 🇫🇷 🇪🇸 (@christophclarey) August 3, 2024
The fourth-seeded Individuals drew first-break blood for 4-2, however Aussies Ebden and Friends broke proper again within the seventh sport and leveled after eight video games.
Within the first-set tiebreaker, Staff USA earned a pair of set factors at 6-4. The Australian aspect saved each. On their third set level, Krajicek and Ram closed a one-set lead.
Serving up a set and a break at 4-3, the US was two holds from gold. Ram was lacking his first serve—he missed 5 first serves—and Ebden made him pay. The Aussies attacked down the center breaking Ram to degree 4-all.
In top-of-the-line web exchanges of the match, the green-and-gold pushed a volley previous Krajicek to carry for 5-4.
Ebden got here by a tense deuce maintain, punching a volley down the center to place Australia forward 6-5. Ram stamped a love maintain to power the second-set tiebreaker.
A centered Ebden spiked two smashes within the first 4 factors staking Australia to a 4-0 tiebreaker lead. Ebden slid a return down the road off the Ram second function the Aussies prolonged to 5-1.
Friends served out the second-set tiebreaker to power the 10-point match tiebreaker to resolve the gold-medal champion.
Sporting his sungless beneath his baseball cap, Friends noticed the sunshine and got here alive within the 10-point match tiebreaker. Friends hit a volley winner to place Australia up 5-2, then pulled off probably the most sensational photographs of the day.
Working to date broad off the courtroom he almost crashed into the linesman, Friends made an incredible dig to delay the purpose and Krajicek’s smash strayed broad as Australia was pumped up going up 7-2.
Ebden gained a forehand duel vs. Ram to present the inexperienced and gold 4 gold-medal factors at 9-5 earlier than Friends lastly closed a stirring present.
Gold for the Aussies! 🥇
Matthew Ebden & John Friends take the boys’s doubles gold medal. Successful Australia’s first gold within the Olympic Tennis Occasion since Atlanta 1996#Paris2024 | #Olympics | #tennis pic.twitter.com/pyffvwrTY8
— ITF (@ITFTennis) August 3, 2024
What a distinction every week makes 🤩 @mattebden #Paris2024 #Olympics #Tennis pic.twitter.com/TMHM8xVlCi
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) August 3, 2024
Ultimately, Perth neighbors stood side-by-side beaming at this golden second.
“We stay about 2 kilometers from one another again house in Perth Australia,” Ebden mentioned. “We’ll be speaking about this till we’re 100 years outdated.”