Asian Games 2023: Gold Medal Favourites Bopanna-Bhambri Fall to Uzbek Underdogs

Hangzhou: In a major upset, the gold medal favourite tennis duo of Rohan Bopanna and Yuki Bhambri from India suffered a surprising defeat in the Asian Games. They were ousted by the lesser-known Uzbekistan pair, Sergey Fomin and Khumoyun Sultanov, in a thrilling encounter. The Uzbek duo triumphed with a scoreline of 2-6, 6-3, 10-6 in the second round, despite being ranked well below their Indian counterparts.

Bhambri’s struggles with serve and strokes in the latter part of the match were evident, while the Uzbek players elevated their game to seize the victory. This loss was particularly disappointing as Bopanna is a top-10 doubles player, and Bhambri boasts a top-100 ranking, whereas their Uzbek opponents weren’t even in the top-300.

Critical moments in the match included Bhambri’s costly double fault and a wide backhand, leading to the crucial break in the second set. The Uzbek pair maintained their composure and served out the set confidently.

The decisive super-tiebreaker saw the Uzbek team take a commanding 3-0 lead, eventually securing a 10-6 win. Fomin’s backhand winner earned them four match points, with Sultanov sealing the victory with an inside-out forehand winner.

India’s coach, Zeeshan Ali, pointed out the lack of support Bhambri provided to Bopanna during the match. He emphasized the importance of minimizing errors in crucial moments and seizing opportunities at this level of competition. The Indians had their chances, including 12 out of 16 break points, but couldn’t convert them.

Rohan Bopanna, at 43, was playing in his final Asian Games, having won gold in the 2018 edition with Divij Sharan. Both Bopanna and Bhambri would now shift their focus to the mixed doubles event.

On a brighter note, India’s top singles player, Ankita Raina, had a stellar start in the women’s singles, winning her second-round match 6-0, 6-0 in just 51 minutes. She advanced to face Adithya P Karunaratne from Hong Kong in the pre-quarterfinals. In contrast, Rutuja Bhosale faced a tough challenge but overcame her opponent from Kazakhstan in a hard-fought match.

In the men’s singles, Ramkumar Ramanathan received a walkover as his Tajikistan opponent didn’t show up. He then teamed up with Saketh Myneni to advance to the men’s doubles quarterfinals with a convincing victory over an Indonesian pair.