Bopanna-Mergea lose in final
london, November 22
Rohan Bopanna yet again finished runners-up at the ATP season-end Finale after losing the summit clash with his Romanian partner Florin Mergea. The eighth seeds lost 4-6 3-6 to second seeded team of Jean-Julien Roger and Horia Teacu.
Bopanna was appearing in his second season-end Finale, having reached the final with compatriot Mahesh Bhupathi in 2012.
Sania Mirza had won the WTA season-end Finale with Martina Hingis in Singapore recently and the fans were hoping to see the two Indians with Finals title in the same season but Bopanna's defeat poured water on those expectations.
The duo of Bopanna-Merga was broken in the very first game of the match. They had a chance to get the break back on Tecau's serve in the sixth game but they squandered two breakpoints to trail 2-4.
Teacu sealed the first set with an ace in the tenth game. In the second set too, it was the team of Julien-Roger and Teacu who got the first break and it stayed with them as they closed the match comfortably in their favour. Bopanna and Mergea, who teamed up for the first time in April, were contesting their fifth final together. They lifted Madrid Masters trophy and on the grass of Stuttgart and finished runners-up in Casablanca and Halle.
With the win, the pair held on to their all-win record against Bopanna-Mergea. Tecau-Rojer have defeated the Indo-Romanian pair in all three meetings — 2015 Wimbledon, 2015 French Open and 2015 ATP World Tour Masters in Rome. — PTI