India’s Rohan Bopanna and his Australian partner Matthew Ebden suffered a disappointing exit from the Monte Carlo Masters on Wednesday, losing their round of 16 men’s doubles match to Mate Pavic of Croatia and Marcelo Arevalo of El Salvador. The Indo-Australian duo fell short in a closely contested encounter, going down 3-6, 6-7 (6-8).
Bopanna and Ebden faced an uphill battle from the outset, dropping the first set 3-6. Despite a valiant effort in the second set, they were unable to overcome the resilience of their opponents, who ultimately prevailed in a tense tie-breaker.
Meanwhile, Indian tennis ace Sumit Nagal’s second-round men’s singles match against Holger Rune of Denmark was suspended due to rain. Nagal, who had enjoyed an impressive run of form leading up to the tournament, was trailing 3-6, 1-2 when the heavens opened up.
Nagal’s journey to the second round was marked by a series of impressive victories. He first defeated eighth-seeded Flavio Cobolli in the qualifier, followed by a triumph over third-seeded Facundo Diaz Acosto to secure a spot in the main draw. In the first round, he stunned Italian Matteo Arnaldi in a thrilling three-set encounter.
Nagal’s performance at the Monte Carlo Masters has been a testament to his recent resurgence. He became the first Indian to win a main draw match at the prestigious tournament, and the first from the country to achieve this feat at one of the three Masters 1000 events held on clay.
With a career-high ranking of No. 93 in the ATP rankings, Nagal has established himself as a force to be reckoned with on the international tennis circuit. He joins the ranks of legendary Indian players Vijay Amritraj and Ramesh Krishnan as the only Indians to participate in the main draw at Monaco.
