India crashed out of the men's doubles event at the Olympics on Saturday as Leander Paes and Rohan Bopanna went down 4-6, 6-7 (6) to the Polish pair of Lukasz Kubot and Marcin Matkowski in the first round.
The pair of Bopanna and Paes stayed in the hunt in the first set, the scores locked at 4-4 before the Polish duo shot ahead and broke them. In an engaging second set, it looked like Kubot and Matkowski would win after edging ahead 4-5, but Bopanna and Paes levelled terms and even went ahead 6-5. However, the Polish pair forced the game into a tie-breaker and then kept their nerve to win the match.
Playing in his seventh Olympics, Leander Paes was under scrutiny after reports emerged of his differences with Bopanna. After this loss however, Paes' Olympics has come to an end as he will not participate in any other event.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!