Rohan Bopanna and his doubles partner Matthew Ebden lost a close final at the Paris Masters to the team of Santiago Gonzalez and Edouard Roger-Vasselin on Sunday.
The Indo-Australian team lost 2-6, 7-5, 7-10 in what was their third consecutive runner-up finish.
In September, the pair had reached the US Open final, where they lost to Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury. Their next event was the Shanghai Masters in early October, where they lost in the final to Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos.
On Sunday though, they had a chance to become the No 1 men’s doubles team in the ATP rankings.
Bopanna, 43, has had a strong season with 35-year-old Ebden. They have won titles at the ATP 250 event in Doha and the Indian Wells Masters.
They also reached the final at the Madrid Masters during the clay season earlier this year, and made the Wimbledon semi-finals. In the process, both players have broken into the top 10 doubles individual rankings, with Ebden currently placed at world No 7 and Bopanna at No 8.
At the Paris Masters, the third seeded Indo-Australian pair received a bye in the first round, and were handed a walkover in the second, where they were expected to play Novak Djokovic and Miomir Kecmanovic.
In the quarter-final, they beat Zeballos and Granollers 6-3, 6-2. They were made to work hard in the semi-final though, but eventually beat the team of Harri Heliovaara and Mate Pavic 6-7(3), 6-4, 10-6 to make it to their fourth Masters final of the season.
The pair are next expected to play at the ATP Tour Finals that begins in Turin, Italy on November 12.
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!