Ace Rohan Bopanna, an Indian tennis player, and his Australian men’s doubles partner Matthew Ebden began their ATP Finals campaign with a straight-set defeat in a group round encounter. On Monday, Bopanna and Ebden were upset 2-6, 3-6 in Turin by Italians Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori. The Indo-Australian duo beat their rivals in this year’s Australian Open final. Bolelli and Vavassori, the next four seeds, controlled from the start and broke their opponents in the second game.
The Indo-Australian pair’s double fault in the eighth game allowed the Italians to earn another break of serve, putting an end to any dreams of a comeback. Bolelli and Vavassori, buoyed by local support, maintained their dominance in the second set, taking the vital break in the fourth game.
Bopanna, who is competing in the competition for the fourth time, and Ebden struggled against their Italian opponents, failing to secure a single break point during the match. Their serving issues exacerbated their difficulties, which meant they won only 58% of points (19 out of 33) on their first offer and 47% (7 out of 15) on their second serve.
In comparison, the Italians were significantly more efficient, winning 89% of their first serves (31 out of 35) and 83% of their second serves (5 out of 6). Additionally, Bopanna and Ebden suffered two double faults in them, both of which resulted in service breaks. Bopanna and Ebden suffered their third consecutive defeat against the Italians this year.
Bopanna and Ebden rank fourth in the Bob Bryan Group. They will face top seeds Marcelo Arevalo of the Dominican Republic and Croatian Mate Pavic in their next group game on Wednesday.