Rohan Bopanna and Sriram Balaji Suffer Tough Loss Ahead Of Paris Olympics

Getting ready to represent India at the Paris Olympics, veteran Rohan Bopanna and N Sriram Balaji began their partnership with a tough loss in the opening round of the Hamburg Open on Thursday. Bopanna and Balaji have never played together on the ATP Tour before. The sixth-seeded Indian team lost 1-6 4-6 to the unseeded German team of Jakob Schnaitter and Mark Wallner in the ATP 500 tournament.

Also Read | Sumit Nagal's Pre-Olympic Phase Ends On a Disappointing Note

Bopanna and Balaji lose Ahead of Paris Olympics

Surprisingly, despite their reputation as strong servers, the Indian players struggled to win points on their first serves. They lost their serve three times during the match and failed to convert any of the three break-point opportunities they had. Following their performance, Bopanna and Balaji have one more tournament together before the Olympics: they will compete at the Croatia Open in Umag, an ATP 250 event.

Meanwhile, India's top-ranked singles player, Sumit Nagal, exited the Nordea Open in Bastad after a 4-6, 2-6 defeat to fourth-seeded Argentine Mariano Navone in the pre-quarterfinals. A victory would have potentially set up a clash with the legendary Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals, but Nagal was outplayed by the World No. 36. Recently, Nagal climbed five spots in the ATP rankings to achieve a career-best ranking of 68.

Nagal, known for his prowess on clay courts, has qualified for the singles event at the Paris Olympics. This tournament was his final preparation before the quadrennial extravaganza commences in Paris on July 26th.

(With PTI inputs)