In Cincinnati, Musetti and Sonego suffered a defeat in the deciding tie-break of the final match.
In a thrilling finale at the Cincinnati Masters 1000, Nikola Mektic and Rajeev Ram clinched the doubles title, marking a significant milestone in the tennis world. This is Ram's sixth Masters 1000 event title and the second for the pair.
Ram's latest victory marks a return to the top after a three-year drought, with his last title won at Adelaide in 2024. For Mektic, this triumph marks his first return to the Top 10 in the doubles rankings since January.
The victory also sees Ram becoming the second-oldest men's doubles champion at the Cincinnati Masters 1000 in the Open Era. At 41 years and 4 months old, he is just behind Daniel Nestor, who won the title at 42 years old in 2015. Nestor's victory was shared with Édouard Roger-Vasselin.
Meanwhile, Matteo Sonego and Jannik Sinner's partnership, although not as successful, has shown promising signs. The duo reached the quarterfinals in Cincinnati two years ago and, more recently, managed to defeat the 2023 champions Gonzalez/Molteni in the first round. However, they are yet to secure their first doubles title on the main tour, having come close in the semifinals where they saved a match point to beat the fifth-seeded Salisbury/Skupski.
Ram's partner, Joe Salisbury, also had a close call, losing to Sonego and Musetti in the first round. Despite this, Salisbury has a formidable record with 14 titles shared with Ram.
In a remarkable season, Ram has now celebrated his second title, and with this win, he has claimed his 32nd ATP Tour doubles title. Sonego, on the other hand, continues his pursuit for his first title, having reached a final in a Masters 1000 event in both singles and doubles in 2025.
The average age of men's doubles champions at the Cincinnati Masters 1000, excluding Ram's latest victory, has been significantly lower, with Ram becoming the second-oldest at 41 years and 4 months old. Despite not securing a title yet, Sonego's partnership in doubles, particularly with Sinner, has shown promising signs in sports such as tennis, with a memorable quarterfinal run in Cincinnati two years ago.
