Rohan Bopanna and his Australian men's doubles partner Matthew Ebden had a tough start to their ATP Finals campaign, suffering a straight-set defeat to the Italian duo of Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori. The match, which took place in Turin on November 11, ended with a disappointing 2-6, 3-6 result for the Indo-Australian pair in just 56 minutes.
Bopanna and Ebden, who had previously triumphed over Bolelli and Vavassori in the final of the 2023 Australian Open, were unable to replicate their earlier success. The Italian pair, seeded fourth, came out strong from the very beginning, quickly taking control of the match. They broke Bopanna and Ebden in the second game of the first set, and a double fault from the Indo-Australian team in the eighth game handed the Italians another break, allowing them to take the first set comfortably.
In the second set, Bolelli and Vavassori continued their dominant form, breaking Bopanna and Ebden in the fourth game to gain a crucial advantage. Despite their best efforts, the Indo-Australian duo struggled to find their rhythm and failed to create any break point opportunities throughout the match.
This defeat marks a challenging start for Bopanna, who is competing in the ATP Finals for the fourth time. His partnership with Ebden, which has been successful in the past, was unable to match the intensity and precision displayed by the Italian duo, who benefitted from strong local support. The loss leaves Bopanna and Ebden with an uphill task as they aim to recover and perform well in their upcoming group stage matches at the prestigious year-end tournament.
