Did Bopanna and Pavlasek Fall Short at the French Open?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Bopanna and Pavlasek demonstrated great determination.
- They faced tough competition against the second seeds.
- The match went to a tiebreak in the second set.
- Yuki Bhambri is still in contention for India.
- Manas Dhamne showed promise despite his exit.
Paris, June 1 (NationPress) India’s Rohan Bopanna and his Czech teammate Adam Pavlasek displayed commendable determination but were ultimately eliminated from the French Open on Sunday by the formidable second seeds, Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten.
The unseeded Indo-Czech pairing succumbed with a score of 2-6, 6-7(5) in the pre-quarterfinals against Finland’s Heliovaara and Britain’s Patten, who hold the third and fourth rankings globally.
The second seeds established a swift 5-1 advantage in the opening set, achieving two breaks of serve. Heliovaara then clinched the set with an impressive service game, concluding with a powerful overhead smash.
Bopanna began the second set on a high note, holding his serve to love. Patten matched his intensity, delivering a series of precise, angled serves.
The Indo-Czech duo had a critical opportunity to break at 2-3 when Patten started the sixth game with a double fault and quickly found himself at 0-30. However, the Briton rallied under pressure, securing four consecutive points to avert trouble.
With no breaks of serve in the second set, the match proceeded to a tiebreak, where Heliovaara clinched victory with an astonishing return winner on the first match point.
In other news, Yuki Bhambri is preparing for his third-round match alongside American partner Robert Galloway, facing the ninth-seeded American duo of Christian Harrison and Evan King.
In the Junior Championship, India’s rising star Manas Dhamne exited the tournament after a 5-7, 3-6 loss to fellow qualifier Ronit Karki from the United States.
The 17-year-old Dhamne, who advanced to the main draw through qualifying, struggled to find his form on Sunday.
Earlier, three-time Roland-Garros champion Novak Djokovic notched his 99th career win on the Paris clay by defeating Austrian qualifier Filip Misolic with a score of 6-3, 6-4, 6-2, advancing to the fourth round of the tournament.