Tennis
Madrid Open: Bopanna-Ebden make first-round exit
The Indo-Australian duo, the defending champions of the Australian Open, were stunned by Sebastian Korda and Jordan Thompson.
FILE PHOTO: Rohan Bopanna in action at the 2024 French Open.
Australian Open doubles winners Ravi Bopanna and Matthew Ebden suffered a shock defeat in round 1 of the ATP Mutua Madrid Open against the American-Australian duo of Sebastian Korda and Jordan Thompson on Tuesday night.
The Indo-Australian duo fell to Korda-Thompson 7-6 (4), 7-5, in a match that lasted just under 90 minutes.
The match was closely contested between both the pairings, but thanks to Korda and Thompson's strong service, they got their noses in front, despite a good fightback from Bopanna and Ebden in saving three break points.
Korda and Thompson eventually won the first set following a tie-breaker. The second set was played along similar lines but with the latter duo gaining more momentum and confidence as the set progressed.
Bopanna and Ebden were unable to create any momentum or levy pressure on their opponents as the second set met with the same fate as its predecessor, and they ended up suffering a shock first-round exit from the tournament.
Although a setback, the duo has had a good run this year starting with the Australian Open win, with Bopanna becoming the oldest player to win the coveted Grand Slam.
They also won the Indian Wells Masters last year, and Bopanna once again got the record of becoming the oldest ATP Masters 1000 champion.
The duo made the men’s doubles semifinals at Wimbledon and the final of the US Open in the same season.
