Melbourne: Indian ace Rohan Bopanna and his mixed doubles partner Zhang Shuai of China crashed out of the Australian Open after losing to local duo Olivia Gadecki and John Peers in the quarterfinal on Tuesday.
The Indo-Chinese pair suffered a 6-2, 4-6, 9-11 at the hands of Australian wild cards in one hour and eight minutes clash at Kia Arena. Their loss also ended India’s campaign at the season’s first major.
Bopanna and Shuai had advanced to the quarterfinal after receiving a walkover against fourth seeds Taylor Townsend of the USA and Hugo Nys of Monaco in the second round.
The Indo-Chinese duo took the first set, but their Australian opponents managed to come back in the second set, leading to a super tie-break to decide the outcome.
Bopanna and Zhang had a strong fight but ultimately fell short in the super tie-breaker. After losing Bopanna’s serve early on, they worked hard to catch up but couldn’t capitalise on their match point at 9-8. The Australian pair seized the opportunity when Zhang’s return went wide and sealed the victory.
Notably, the Indian ace had reached the mixed doubles final with Sania Mirza in 2023. (IANS)
Also Read: Rohan Bopanna-Zhang Shuai enter mixed doubles quarterfinals at Australian Open
Also Watch: