India’s highest ranked men’s doubles player Rohan Bopanna and his Uruguayan partner Pablo Cuveas lost their second round encounter against Australia’s Alex Bolt and Bradley Mousley on Friday.
Bopanna and Cuveas, who were seeded 15th, were beaten 6-2, 6-7 (2), 4-6 by their unseeded opponents in a match that lasted for nearly two hours. Bopanna and Cuevas won the first set 6-2 and were favourites to win the match. However, the local pair staged a thrilling comeback to win the second set 7-6 (2) to make it a set all. With momentum in their corner, the Australians won the third 6-4 to win the match.
Their loss puts an end to the Indian challenge in the men’s doubles, after Leander Paes and partner Andre Sa of Brazil, as well as the team of Purav Raja and Divij Sharan, lost in the first round on Thursday.
However, Sania Mirza won her second round encounter with ease as she and her partner Barbora Strycova beat Samantha Stosur and Shuai Zhang 6-1, 6-4 on Friday. Mirza and Strycova were in complete command of the match as they dismantled their opponents.