Rohan Bopanna-Matthew Ebden Begin ATP Finals With Straight Set Defeat

Bopanna and Ebden were defeated by the Italian duo of Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori 2-6, 3-6 in just 56 minutes in Turin on Monday.

Ace Indian tennis player Rohan Bopanna and his Australian men's doubles partner Matthew Ebden started their ATP Finals campaign on a losing note, suffering a straight-set defeat in a group stage match. Bopanna and Ebden were defeated by the Italian duo of Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori 2-6, 3-6 in just 56 minutes in Turin on Monday. The Indo-Australian pair had defeated their opponents in this year's Australian Open final. Bolelli and Vavassori, the fourth seeds, dominated from the outset, breaking their rivals in the second game.

A double fault by the Indo-Australian pair in the eighth game allowed the Italians to secure another break of serve, further thwarting any hopes of a comeback.

Buoyed by the local support, Bolelli and Vavassori continued their domination in the second set as well, taking the crucial break in the fourth game.

Bopanna, who is appearing in the tournament for the fourth time, and Ebden, struggled to match their Italian opponents, failing to earn even a single break point throughout the match.

The serving woes added to their difficulties, as they won only 58% of points (19 out of 33) on their first serve and 47% (7 out of 15) on their second.