Rohan Bopanna claws his way to ATP 500 Rotterdam qualifier
Coming alive in the tie-breakers propelled Bopanna-Shapovalov to victory.
Rohan Bopanna and Denis Shapovalov defeated the Australian-Kiwi pairing of John Peers and Michael Venus 7-6 (7-0), 6-7 (5-7), 10-8 at the ATP 500 World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam.
The Indo-Canadian duo’s victory saw them move on to the doubles quarter-final stage of the ATP 500 tournament.
It also served as a healthy bounce-back for Rohan Bopanna following his early elimination from the Tata Open Maharashtra last week.
An effortless opener for Rohan Bopanna
The opening set at the ATP 500 Rotterdam got underway with both sides squandering a chance each at breaking the other in the first six games.
It was John Peers and Michael Venus who eventually succeeded first, but Rohan Bopanna and Denis Shapovalov wasted no time in returning the favour in the eighth game.
In the tenth, the Australian-Kiwi duo got off to a terrific start but squandered away three set points before Rohan Bopanna and Denis Shapovalov eventually reigned back the deficit and hold serve.
With two more games without a break, the set went into a tiebreaker that saw the Indo-Canadian partnership perform flawlessly.
Breaking their opponents three times, Bopanna and Shapovalov won the tiebreaker 7-0 to take the first set 7-6 (7-0).
Peers-Venus fight back
John Peers and Michael Venus recovered from that setback quickly enough, holding their ground as the second set got underway.
With neither side faltering, the second set too went into a tiebreaker after 12 games.
This time, however, it wasn't quite so one-sided, as a topsy-turvy contest saw John Peers and Michael Venus break their opponents four-to-three to set up a third set.
A tense race to ten points saw Bopanna and Shapovalov get broken three-to-four to narrowly edge out Peers-Venus 10-8.
What's next for Rohan Bopanna?
Rohan Bopanna and Denis Shapovalov will face the British pair of Jamie Murray and Neal Skupski in the ATP 500 Rotterdam doubles quarter-final next.
Where can I watch the World Tennis Tournament?
Live coverage of the ATP 500 Rotterdam will be available on the Sony Liv app as well as the ATP website.