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Leander’s hopes of a second medal end early
RIO DE JANEIRO: It took 84 minutes for Leander Pa es’ dream sofa second Olympic medal to come crashing down. Taking to the court with partner Rohan Bopanna against
RIO DE JANEIRO: It took 84 minutes for Leander Pa es’ dream sofa second Olympic medal to come crashing down. Taking to the court with partner Rohan Bopanna against Poland’s Marcin Matkowski and Lukasz Kubot, the Indian pair lost 4-66-7(6-8) on Saturday in the opening round of the men’s doubles.
Bopanna still has a shot at Olympic glory. Pairing with Sania Mirza in the mixed doubles, they have a good chance of bringing home a medal provided they play to their potential. On the flip side, Paes became the only Indian and tennis player to play in seven editions of the Olympics.
In the months leading up to this event, there was never a dull moment. From Bopanna preferring to play with Saketh Myneni instead of Paes to reports of the 43-year-old not having a bed in the Games Village, there has been no shortage of drama. Paes’ commitment was also questioned when he arrived in Rio from the US on Thursday after playing in the World Team Tennis.
Despite Bop anna and Pa es coming together on the grass courts at Chandigarh to win the Davis Cup rubber against Korea, their lack of chemistry, unlike when they have paired in the past, has been evident.
Saturday in Rio was no different. They even had a practice session here with the two hardly communicating. Pa es and Bop anna were broken thrice in the first set after being a break up. Up 4-3, after having broken Matkowski-Kubot twice, Paes’s serve was broken as they made it 4-4. Kubot then held his serve making it 5-4 before Bopanna failed to hold his. It took only 32 minutes for the Indian pair to lose the first set.
The second set saw both pairs hold serve till the 10th game. In the 11th, Paes and Bopanna broke the Poles to go up 6-5. But Bopanna failed to hold serve for the scoreboard to become level at 6-6.
Anything can happen in a tiebreak. The Polish pair managed a mini-break, taking a 4-1 lead, but the Indians clawed back into the game. They even held a set point at 6-5, but Matkowski-Kubot proved too strong. Winning three points on the trot, they advanced to the next round.
