Former world primary Rohan Bopanna and his new Colombian companion Nicolas Barrientos bowed out of the Australian Open males’s doubles occasion with an opening-round loss to the Spanish crew of Pedro Martinez and Jaume Munar on Tuesday.
India’s Rohan Bopanna had gained the 2024 version along with his Australian companion Matthew Ebden(AP)
Bopanna and Barrientos went down 5-7, 6-7 (5) in a match that lasted shut to 2 hours.
The 14th-seeded Indo-Colombian pair started on a promising observe however faltered in essential moments, permitting the Spaniards to capitalise and safe victory.
Bopanna and Barrientos received off to a strong begin, holding serve comfortably within the preliminary video games.
Nonetheless, the Spanish pair step by step gained momentum, showcasing consistency from the baseline and tactical web play.
The decisive second got here late within the set when Martinez and Munar earned a vital break to take the opener.
In a roller-coaster second set, each the pairs pushed one another to the restrict.
Martinez and Munar first cruised to a 5-3 lead and appeared poised to shut out the match whereas serving for it.
Nonetheless, Bopanna and Barrientos staged a spirited fightback, breaking their opponents’ serve to degree the rating at 5-5.
The set finally went to a tie-break during which the Spaniards saved their composure, edging previous the 14th seeds 7-5 to clinch the match.
The 44-year-old Indian had gained the 2024 version along with his Australian companion Matthew Ebden. That historic victory made Bopanna, who was 43 at the moment, the oldest man within the Open Period to win a Grand Slam title.
Nonetheless, the Bopanna-Ebden partnership concluded after the Turin ATP Finals in November final 12 months resulting in his new pairing with Barrientos.
Earlier, India’s prime ranked singles participant Sumit Nagal additionally made a first-round exit, dropping to world No.25 Tomas Machac of the Czech Republic in straight units on Monday.