Tennis: Bopanna and Shelton Exit Monte Carlo Quarterfinals
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Synopsis
Rohan Bopanna and Ben Shelton's men's doubles journey at the Monte Carlo Masters ended in the quarterfinals after a loss to Romain Arneodo and Manuel Guinard. Despite a comeback, the pair fell in a super tiebreak. Bopanna made history as the oldest player to win a match at the ATP Masters 1000 level.
Key Takeaways
- Bopanna and Shelton lost in the quarterfinals of the Monte Carlo Masters.
- The duo previously achieved a notable victory against higher-seeded opponents.
- Bopanna became the oldest player to win an ATP Masters 1000 match.
- He holds several records for age in professional tennis.
- Bopanna continues to break barriers in men's doubles.
Roquebrune-Cap-Martin (France), April 11 (NationPress) – The men's doubles journey of Indian star Rohan Bopanna and Ben Shelton at the Monte Carlo Masters concluded in the quarterfinals, following a loss to Monegasque players Romain Arneodo and Manuel Guinard on Friday.
The Indo-American pair made a strong comeback after dropping the first set but ultimately fell in the super tiebreak with a final score of 6-2, 4-6, 10-7. This match marked Bopanna’s sixth appearance in the quarterfinals at the Monte-Carlo Masters, a prestigious title he notably secured in 2017.
Bopanna and Shelton previously achieved a remarkable victory in the second round against the third seeds, Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori, winning 2-6, 7-6(4), 10-7 in a match characterized by an unpredictable tiebreak.
In the first round, following his win over Francisco Cerundolo and Alejandro Tabilo, Bopanna broke records by becoming the oldest player to win a match at the ATP Masters 1000 level at the age of 45 years and one month.
This achievement surpassed the former record held by Canadian tennis icon Daniel Nestor, who was 44 years and 8 months old when he triumphed at the 2017 Madrid Masters, ironically defeating Bopanna, who was then partnering with Pablo Cuevas.
In the realm of singles, the record for the oldest player to win a match at the ATP Masters 1000 level is held by Croatia’s Ivo Karlovic, who defeated Indian player Prajnesh Gunneswaran at 40 years old in Indian Wells, 2019.
Last year, Bopanna made history again by becoming the oldest man in the Open Era to capture a major men’s doubles title, teaming with Australian Matthew Ebden to win the Australian Open.
This achievement also saw Bopanna become the oldest first-time World No. 1 in doubles. In March of last year, he partnered with Ebden to become the oldest ATP Masters 1000 champion at the Miami Open.
