The Madrid Open 2024 witnessed an unexpected turn of events as the top-seeded Indo-Australian pair of Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden made a first-round exit. The duo, who were the reigning Australian Open men’s doubles champions, were defeated by the unheralded American-Australian pair of Sebastian Korda and Jordan Thompson.
Rohan Bopanna and Ebden lose in a closely contested game
The match was a closely contested affair, with both pairs showcasing their skills and determination. Despite a strong service game, Bopanna and Ebden could not capitalize on break points, ultimately losing 7-6 (4), 7-5. The contest lasted one hour and 17 minutes.
This was the first time that Bopanna and Ebden were facing Korda and Thompson. The American-Australian duo matched Bopanna and Ebden shot for shot, displaying a strong service game and saving the lone break point they conceded in the opening set. Despite Bopanna and Ebden not allowing Korda and Thompson to convert the three break points they ended up conceding, Korda and Thompson managed to gain the upper hand by clinching the set in a tie-breaker.
The second set saw Korda and Thompson continue their momentum, managing to break Bopanna and Ebden once from the four chances that came their way. The top seeds, in contrast, could not exert any such pressure, resulting in an early exit from the tournament.
Rohan Bopanna in action during his first round match at the @MutuaMadridOpen
Top seeds and last year’s finalists Bopanna/Ebden lost to Korda/Thompson 6-7(4) 5-7 pic.twitter.com/bGHE3cCXEJ
— Indian Tennis Daily (ITD) (@IndTennisDaily) May 1, 2024
Despite this setback, Bopanna and Ebden have enjoyed a good run on the circuit. They won the Indian Wells Masters last year, which made Bopanna the oldest-ever ATP Masters 1000 champion. The duo also made the men’s doubles semifinals at Wimbledon and the final of the US Open in the same season.
Earlier this year, Bopanna also became the oldest world number one in doubles thanks to the Australian Open triumph. However, he suffered a dip in the latest ATP Rankings released in April, losing his World No. 1 rank to his doubles partner Matthew Ebden.
The duo recently suffered a defeat in the Round of 16 of Monte-Carlo Masters 2024 against Mate Pavic of Croatia and Marcelo Arevalo of El Salvador. Before the Monte-Carlo Masters 2024, the pair secured the Miami Open title in March, defeating Croatia’s Ivan Dodig and America’s Austin Krajicek 6-7 (3), 6-3, 10-6 in the final.
Also Read: Lallianzuala Chhangte becomes the first Indian player to have multiple 10+ goals season in ISL
