Australian Open: Bopanna blasts umpire for "horrendous call"

Bopanna blamed a "horrendous call" at a crucial juncture in the match from the chair umpire as the reason behind his early ouster from the men's doubles event.

Bopanna and Cuevas lost to Australian pair of Alex Bolt and Bradley Mousley.

Rohan Bopanna lost his cool and blamed a "horrendous call" at a crucial juncture in the match from the chair umpire as the reason behind his early ouster from the men's doubles event.

The contentious call was made on Cuevas' serve, which was broken in the seventh game of the final set. On break point, a volley from Bolt sailed wide but the chair umpire ruled that the ball had brushed Bopanna's racket on the way out.

Protesting the call, Bopanna and Cuevas were involved in an animated conversation with the chair umpire at the change of ends.

Very hard to digest a loss in a match when the REF decides the outcome.Reactions of opponents says it all. >@AustralianOpen>#MostShockingCall>pic.twitter.com/VDNIBsQaVU

— Rohan Bopanna (@rohanbopanna) >January 20, 2017

"I can't believe you made that call. That's a horrendous call. No one heard (the deflection) and you only heard it. That's what I am really surprised," said a furious Bopanna while arguing with the chair umpire.

He later tweeted: "Very hard to digest a loss in a match when the REF decides the outcome.Reactions of opponents says it all.@AustralianOpen #MostShockingCall."