India’s challenge at the French Open came to an end late on Thursday in Paris after Rohan Bopanna and partner Denis Shapovalov went down in the first round of the men’s doubles.
The Indo-Canadian pair was beaten 6-2, 6-2 by former Wimbledon men’s doubles champions Jack Sock and Vasek Pospisil.
The loss came after Shapovalov, seeded ninth in the singles draw, had blasted the Roland Garros organisers for scheduling his doubles match soon after his singles, where he played for five hours in a tough second-round exit.
Shapovalov slams French Open as doubles match with Bopanna scheduled after five-set singles marathon
The 21-year-old played the doubles match soon after losing a gruelling five-setter against Roberto Carballes Baena and was possibly not a 100% recovered.
“Scheduling is absolutely awful. It’s just complete trash. It’s disappointing. I mean you’re in a Grand Slam and I don’t want to sound spoiled, but you expect at least some help from the tournament to help you compete,” he had said after his singles exit.
“How am I supposed to come out and play doubles now after a five-hour match? It’s a first round as well, they could have scheduled it way better, way easier, I mean it’s not acceptable.”
On Wednesday, Divij Sharan and his South Korean partner Kwon Soon-woo also bowed out in the first round. The unseeded Sharan and Kwon Soon-woo lost 2-6, 6-4, 4-6 to the 16th seeded Croatian-American pair of Franko Skugor and Austin Krajicek.
No Indian, male or female, had made it to the singles draws after defeats in the qualifying rounds.
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