London, United Kingdom: Indian tennis player Rohan Bopanna and his Australian partner Matthew Ebden made an impressive start to their Wimbledon 2023 campaign as they secured a hard-fought victory in the opening round of the men’s doubles event on Friday.
Seeded sixth at the prestigious grass court Grand Slam, Bopanna and Ebden faced off against unseeded Argentine duo Guillermo Duran and Tomas Martin Etcheverry. After an intense battle that lasted two hours and 12 minutes, the Indo-Australian pair emerged victorious with a scoreline of 6-2, 6-7, 7-6.
The 43-year-old Bopanna and Ebden, who previously clinched two doubles titles on the ATP Tour earlier this year, showcased their chemistry and skill on the grass court. Their next challenge waits in the second round, where they will face the unseeded British pair of Jacob Fearnley and Johannus Monday on Sunday.
Bopanna and Ebden had a successful start to the year, winning the Qatar Open in February and the ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells title in March. Their strong performances on the tour have positioned them as contenders at Wimbledon, where they aim to make a deep run in the men’s doubles event.
Furthermore, Bopanna will be back in action on Saturday, this time in the mixed doubles category alongside Canada’s Gabriela Dabrowski. The sixth-seeded pair, who clinched the French Open mixed doubles title in 2017, will commence their campaign against the unseeded duo of Ivan Dodig of Croatia and Latisha Chan of Chinese Taipei.
Meanwhile, Indian tennis players Yuki Bhambri and Saketh Myneni are set to begin their men’s doubles campaigns on Saturday as well. The Indian duo, who secured a last-minute entry into Wimbledon as alternates, will face Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain and Adrian Mannarino of France in the opening round.
Another Indian pair, comprising Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan and N. Sriram Balaji, will also initiate their men’s doubles journey on Saturday. Having entered the main draw as alternates, the Indian duo faces a tough challenge against second seeds Austin Krajicek of the USA and Ivan Dodig.
Notably, there are no Indian players competing in the singles category at Wimbledon this year. Ankita Raina was the sole Indian representative in the singles qualifiers, but unfortunately, she was eliminated in the opening round.
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