French Open: Rohan Bopanna-Matwe Middelkoop's campaign ends, duo bow out in men's double semi-finals
French Open: Bopanna-Matwe's run ends, pair lose men's doubles semis
India's veteran tennis star Rohan Bopanna and his Dutch partner Matwe Middelkoop's inspiringrun at Roland Garros concluded on Thursday evening (June 02)as the duo bowed out with a defeat in the men's doubles. Facing the 12th seeds Marcelo Arevalo and Jean Julien Roger, the Indian-Dutch pair conceded the proceedings4-6, 6-3, 7-6(8).
While Bopanna had made it to the semis of a Grand Slam for the first time in seven years, it was Middelkoop's maidenappearance at the last-four roundof a Major. In the semis, the Indo-Dutch pair were off to a winning start as they wrapped up the opening set, 6-4, in 36 minutes. From thereon, Arevalo-Roger clawed their way back into the match by pocketing the second and penultimate set 6-3 in 40 minutes.The third and final set went into a tiebreaker where Bopanna-Middelkoop saved two match points, however, they lostthe contest eventually.
Despite the result not going in their favour in the semi-finals, Bopanna-Matwe can surely be proud of their overall campaign.The Indo-Dutch pair registered a stunning win over the British-Finland pairing of Llyod Glasspool and Harri Heliovaara in the quarter-finals. Even in the pre-quarters, theyhad saved five match points before getting the better ofsecond-seeds Mate Pavic-Nikola Mektic.
Talking about Bopanna, the 42-year-old Indian continues to stay relevant in the tennis fraternity with his performances and never-say-die attitude. His determination and fitness stands out and the veteran will be looking to carry on with the momentum in the upcoming majors this year.