Rajeev Ram and Nikola Mektic produced a sensational performance at the Cincinnati Open on Sunday after beating Lorenzo Musetti and Lorenzo Sonego in the final to win the men’s doubles title. This was their maiden Masters 1000 trophy as a pair and only their third event of the year after reaching a final together for the first time.

The winning pair defeated the all-Italian duo 4-6, 6-3, 10-5 in a 90-minute clash. It was a come-from-behind win for Ram and Mektic, who won 87% (34/39) of their first serves.

With the win, the 41-year-old Ram became the second-oldest men’s doubles champion in Cincinnati after 42-year-old Daniel Nestor, who won in 2015 alongside Édouard Roger-Vasselin.

Ram-Mektic Pair

“Tennis, right? Crazy stories. This is our third tournament together, even though we’ve known each other for three decades. Thank you so much, I can’t thank you enough, and it was a pleasure playing this week,” said Mektic to Ram during the trophy presentation ceremony. Meanwhile, for Mektic — one of the most active players in men’s doubles — it was his 11th Masters 1000 title. Upon reaching the final, he also became the third active doubles player after Rohan Bopanna and Mate Pavic to reach the final 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 on my side of the net,” added Ram in the same ceremony.

This win will help the pair rise by 196 spots to No. 25 in the ATP Live Doubles Team Rankings.

Next up for the duo is the US Open, beginning later this month. The six-time major champion Ram has already won three of his career Slams in New York, while Mektic is a former finalist, having reached the summit clash in 2020 with Wesley Koolhof. However, he ultimately lost 5-7, 3-6 to Mate Pavic and Bruno Soares.