Rohan Bopanna and partner Ivan Dodig suffer shock exit in China Open first round

Rohan Bopanna and Ivan Dodig suffered a shock first-round exit at the China Open, falling 5-7, 6-7 to Francisco Cerundolo and Nicolas Jarry. The loss comes after Bopanna's strong season, including titles at the Australian Open and Miami Open.

In Short

• Rohan Bopanna and Ivan Dodig lost 5-7, 6-7 in the China Open first round
• The unseeded Cerundolo-Jarry duo stunned the second-seeded Indo-Croatian pair
• Bopanna’s successful 2024 includes titles at the Australian Open and Miami Open

Indian tennis veteran Rohan Bopanna and his Croatian partner Ivan Dodig suffered a shocking defeat in the first round of the China Open ATP 500 tournament on Saturday. The second-seeded Indo-Croatian pair lost 5-7, 6-7 to the unseeded team of Francisco Cerundolo and Nicolas Jarry in a round of 16 match that lasted one hour and 31 minutes. Bopanna's regular partner, Matthew Ebden, chose not to participate in the tournament. Bopanna and Dodig have teamed up in the past, with their best performance being a runner-up finish at the 2017 ATP Montreal Masters 1000.

The 44-year-old Indian has had a successful year, winning the Australian Open and Miami Open. However, Bopanna and Ebden recently faced an early exit in the round of 16 at the US Open, marking a disappointing end to their campaign there. Rohan Bopanna announced his retirement from Indian tennis after making an early exit from the Paris Olympics 2024.

Bopanna retires from Indian tennis

The 44-year-old crashed out of the doubles after losing to the French pair of Gael Monfils and Edouard Roger-Vasselin in the opening round on Sunday, July 28. After an hour and 16 minutes, the duo of Bopanna and N Sriram Balaji lost the match 5-7, 2-6.

Bopanna has been amongst the most decorated tennis players India have ever had. Back in 2017, he won the French Open mixed doubles title with Gabriela Dabrowski. Earlier this, he became the oldest World No.1 and also became the oldest Grand Slam champion after winning the Australian Open men's doubles title with Matthew Ebden. He also won the Padma Shri back in April.

The much-anticipated sixth edition of the Tennis Premier League is set to commence in December in Mumbai, and it will feature former World No. 1 Rohan Bopanna. Currently, ranked 6th in the world in men's doubles, Bopanna will make his debut in the TPL.