• By Manik Sharma
  • Sat, 13 Jan 2024 03:03 PM (IST)
  • Source:JND
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Adelaide International Tennis: Indian tennis veteran Rohan Bopanna commenced his 2024 season with mixed emotions, securing a runner-up finish alongside partner Matthew Ebden at the ATP 250 Adelaide International in Australia on Saturday.

Seeded second in their first ATP tournament of the year, the Bopanna-Ebden duo engaged in a tightly contested final, eventually succumbing to a 5-7, 7-5, 9-11 defeat against the third-seeded pair, Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury.

Interestingly, the match felt like deja vu from the US Open men's doubles final last year, where the same opponents emerged victorious in a three-set battle.

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In 2023, the Indo-Australian pair faced setbacks at the Shanghai Masters and Paris Masters but had clinched victory at the Indian Wells Masters. Notably, Bopanna, at 43, became the oldest player to secure a Masters 1000 title and reached the semifinals at Wimbledon.

The journey to the final in Adelaide included a walkover in the first round and a quarter-final win against the South American team of Nicolas Barrientos and Rafael Matos. In the semifinal, they defeated Gonzalo Escobar and Aleksandr Nedovyesov to secure their place in the title clash.

Bopanna, attained a career-high world No 3 ranking in 2023 season. He is the lone active Grand Slam winner from India following Sania Mirza's retirement.

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The focus now shifts to the Australian Open 2024, scheduled to commence on January 14. Bopanna historically faced challenges at the Australian Open with a 16-16 win/loss record and no progression beyond the third round.

In the Men's singles final, the seventh-seeded Czech, Jiri Lehecka, clinched his maiden ATP Tour level title by defeating unseeded Briton Jack Draper in the Adelaide International final.

The closely contested match, lasting 2 hours and 8 minutes, saw Lehecka winning 4-6, 6-5, 6-3. Both players showcased powerful serving with Lehecka securing eight aces and Draper with seven. Lehecka's resilience was evident as he saved eight of nine breakpoints, while Draper saved three of five in their first ATP Tour level encounter.