Paris, July 29 (UNI) India’s tennis campaign at the Paris 2024 Olympics concluded on Sunday, as both Sumit Nagal and the men’s doubles team of Rohan Bopanna and N.Sriram Balaji exited the tournament in their opening matches at the prestigious Roland Garros Stadium.
In the men’s doubles event, the unseeded duo of Bopanna and Balaji faced a challenging encounter against French players Gael Monfils and Édouard Roger-Vasselin. Despite a competitive start, the Indian team lost the match 7-5, 6-2 in a contest that lasted 76 minutes.
The first set saw Monfils and Roger-Vasselin break serve in the fifth game, only for Bopanna and Balaji to quickly level the score.
However, the French pair managed a decisive break towards the end of the set. In the second set, Monfils and Roger-Vasselin continued their aggressive play, securing an early break off Balaji’s serve and subsequently another break to clinch the match. It’s worth noting that Fabien Reboul, who was initially slated to partner Roger-Vasselin, was replaced by Monfils due to a last-minute injury.
Earlier in the day, world No. 80 Sumit Nagal faced a tough opponent in France’s Corentin Moutet, ranked 68th. The match was a gruelling contest that stretched for just under two and a half hours, with Moutet eventually emerging victorious with a scoreline of 6-2, 2-6, 7-5. This clash marked their second meeting; Nagal had previously defeated Moutet in an ATP 250 clay court event in Marrakech, Morocco, in April.
Nagal, unseeded in Paris, was making his second appearance at the Summer Games. In Tokyo 2020, he had progressed to the second round of the men’s singles event.
In the men’s doubles, Bopanna, who had previously won the Australian Open men’s doubles title earlier this year, was making his third Olympic appearance. His partner, Balaji, was competing in his first Olympic Games. At 44, Bopanna was the oldest Indian athlete in the Paris 2024 contingent.
As the curtains fall on India’s tennis journey at these Olympics, fans are encouraged to stay updated with Team India’s highlights and other Olympic coverage.
