Rohan Bopanna denied in European Open final
Indian veteran and partner Matwe Middelkoop fall short against second seeded John Peers and Michael Venus.
Rohan Bopanna could not clinch his first ATP Tour title since the restart as the Indian tennis player and his Dutch partner Matwe Middelkoop lost the final of the European Open in straight sets.
Second seeds John Peers and Michael Venus emerged victorious after 58 minutes on court in Antwerp, winning by a 6-3, 6-4 scoreline.
High hopes
Having defeated both the fourth and fifth seeds en route to the final, hopes were high that Bopanna and Middelkoop could claim another notable scalp at the ATP 250 event in Belgium.
However, the Indo-Dutch duo were left frustrated as Peers and team-mate Venus coped well when pressure was applied, saving five of the six break points they faced.
Key to the triumph for the Australian-New Zealand pair was their service game, dropping just three points behind their serve.
In just under an hour, victory was theirs - a third ATP Tour title of the year for Venus and Peers.
However, Rohan Bopanna will leave Antwerp with plenty of encouragement after an excellent showing with Matwe Middelkoop in their debut as a pair.
Rohan Bopanna's last title came at the Qatar Open in January where he teamed up with Wesley Koolhof of the Netherlands.