Rohan Bopanna’s French Open run halted in quarter-finals

India’s Rohan Bopanna and doubles partner Franko Skugor of Croatia were knocked out of the French Open 2021 in the quarter-finals on Monday.

Bopanna-Skugor fell 7-5, 6-3 to Spanish pair Pedro Martinez and Pablo Andujar.

The Indo-Croatian team were well-rested, having received a walkover in the previous round and were solid through the initial stages, even breaking Martinez-Andujar in the fifth game of the first set to go up 3-2.

However, the Spaniards broke right back to level the scores at 3-3 and both pairs were flawless for the next five games, holding serve without conceding any break points.

Up 6-5 after the 11th game, Martinez-Andujar finally created an opening in the 12th game and converted the break point to take the first set 7-5.

The second set followed a similar pattern. Bopanna-Skugor were level at 2-2 and had three break opportunities in the fifth game but could not convert either of them as their Spanish opponents held on to lead 3-2.

The decisive break of serve arrived in the eighth game, as Martinez-Andujar, leading 4-3, did not allow Bopanna-Skugor any room and went up 40-0. Though the Indo-Croatian pair saved the first break point, they conceded the next one to trail 5-3.

The Spaniards did not show any nerves despite trailing 30-0 at one point, serving out the match to progress to the French Open semi-finals.

Pedro Martinez and Pablo Andujar will now face the winner between the Monegasque-German pair of Hugo Nys-Tim Putz and the Kazakhstan team of Andrey Golubev and Alexander Bublik in the last four.

Rohan Bopanna’s loss ended Indian representation at the French Open after both Ankita Raina and Divij Sharan were eliminated in earlier rounds.