File picture of Rohan Bopanna.© AFP
India’s Rohan Bopanna and his Croatian partner Darija Jurak Schreiber made a first-round exit from the Australian Open mixed doubles tennis event after losing to Kazakhstan’s Andrey Golubev and Ukraine’s Lyudmyla Kichenok on Saturday. The Bopanna-Schreiber duo lost 6-1 4-6 9-11 in one hour and three minutes. Bopanna and Schrieber came out with intent and won the first set 6-1 after making just one unforced error while converting two of the three breakpoints.
However, Golubev-Kichenok came back strong and took a 4-2 lead in the second set.
Bopanna and Schrieber were broken thrice in the second set with the Indian dropping serve for the first time to concede a 2-4 lead.
Bopanna and Schrieber bagged the next two games but Golubev and Kichenok took the set 6-4, taking the match into the super tiebreaker.
Promoted
Bopanna and Schrieber were leading 9-6 in the decider but Golubev and Kichenok sealed it in their favour after saving three match points and converting their own.
Sania Mirza, who progressed to the mixed doubles second round with her American partner Rajeev Ram, is the only Indian remaining in fray in the season’s first Grand Slam.
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