NEW DELHI: India's tennis dreams at the Paris Olympics were shattered early on Sunday as Sumit Nagal and the men's doubles team of Rohan Bopanna and N Sriram Balaji were ousted in their opening matches by French competitors.
Sumit Nagal took to the court first against Corentin Moutet. Despite battling hard, Nagal was defeated in a three-set thriller. Moutet won 2-6, 6-4, 5-7 in a match that lasted two hours and 28 minutes at Court Seven in Roland Garros. Nagal, in his second Olympic appearance, managed to recover after losing the first set but couldn't maintain his form in the deciding set.
Nagal started the final set with an early break and a 2-0 lead. However, Moutet clawed back into the match, eventually securing the win. This match continued a trend, as three of their last four encounters have gone to three sets. Moutet's tactics, including underarm serves and drop shots, as well as the home crowd's support, were instrumental in his victory.
In the men's doubles, Rohan Bopanna and N Sriram Balaji faced Edouard Roger-Vasselin and Gael Monfils. The French pair won 5-7, 2-6. This match is expected to be Bopanna's last representation of India in a multi-sport event, as the 44-year-old has announced his retirement from Davis Cup.
Monfils, replacing the injured Fabien Reboul, used powerful hitting and the energy from the home crowd to their advantage. The French strategy involved engaging Bopanna in long rallies, which sidelined Balaji and limited his chances for fast plays at the net.
The Indian team did manage to break Roger-Vasselin's serve but couldn't keep the momentum, ending the match with an unforced error. The doubles match featured several intense baseline exchanges dominated by the host team’s tactics.
Despite efforts from both, Nagal and the doubles pair, India's quest for Olympic glory in tennis was cut short in the initial rounds.
