MELBOURNE — Former world number one Rohan Bopanna and his new Colombian partner
Nicolas Barrientos bowed out of the Australian Open men's doubles event with an
opening-round loss to the Spanish team of Pedro Martinez and Jaume Munar here
on Tuesday.
Photograph: (Twitter)
Bopanna and Barrientos went down 5-7, 6-7 (5) in a match
that lasted close to two hours.
The 14th-seeded Indo-Colombian pair began on a promising
note but faltered in crucial moments, allowing the Spaniards to capitalise and
secure victory.
Bopanna and Barrientos got off to a solid start, holding
serve comfortably in the initial games.
However, the Spanish pair gradually gained momentum,
showcasing consistency from the baseline and tactical net play.
The decisive moment came late in the set when Martinez
and Munar earned a crucial break to take the opener.
In a roller-coaster second set, both the pairs pushed
each other to the limit.
Martinez and Munar first cruised to a 5-3 lead and
appeared poised to close out the match while serving for it.
However, Bopanna and Barrientos staged a spirited
fightback, breaking their opponents' serve to level the score at 5-5.
The set ultimately went to a tie-break in which the
Spaniards kept their composure, edging past the 14th seeds 7-5 to clinch the
match.
The 44-year-old Indian had won the 2024 edition with his
Australian partner Matthew Ebden. That historic victory made Bopanna, who was
43 at that time, the oldest man in the Open Era to win a Grand Slam title.
However, the Bopanna-Ebden partnership concluded after
the Turin ATP Finals in November last year leading to his new pairing with
Barrientos.
Earlier, India's top ranked singles player Sumit Nagal
also made a first-round exit, losing to world No.25 Tomas Machac of the Czech
Republic in straight sets on Monday.
Photograph: (Twitter)