Bopanna-Ebden Falter in ATP Finals, Face Uphill Battle

Ace Indian tennis player Rohan Bopanna and Australian partner Matthew Ebden lost their opening match at the ATP Finals to Italians Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori in straight sets. Despite past successes, including a win at the Australian Open, they struggled with service efficiency against their opponents.

Ace Indian tennis player Rohan Bopanna, alongside his Australian partner Matthew Ebden, faced a challenging start to their ATP Finals campaign. The duo suffered a straight-set defeat to Italy's Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori, losing 2-6, 3-6 in the group stage.

The Indo-Australian pair, who had previously overcome the Italians in the Australian Open final, found themselves outmatched as Bolelli and Vavassori broke serve early and maintained pressure throughout. A costly double fault by Bopanna and Ebden during the eighth game sealed the Italians' second-set dominance.

With efficient serving from their opponents, Bopanna and Ebden struggled, winning only 58% of first-serve points compared to the Italians' impressive 89%. They now face top seeds Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic next, with hopes to recover from their third consecutive defeat to the Italian duo this year.

(With inputs from agencies.)