Bopanna-Mergea finish runners up at ATP Finals

Rohan Bopanna and Florin Mergea, the eighth seeds, lost 4-6, 3-6 to second seeded team of Jean-Julien Roger and Horia Teacu.

Rohan Bopanna (first from left) stands beside his doubles' partner Florin Mergea, and the title winners Horia Tecau and Jean-Julien Rojer.

Rohan Bopanna yet again finished runner-up at the ATP season-end Finale after losing the summit clash with his Romanian partner Florin Mergea, here today. The eighth seeds lost 4-6, 3-6 to second seeded team of Jean-Julien Roger and Horia Teacu.

Bopanna was appearing in his second season-end Finale, having reached the final with compatriot Mahesh Bhupathi in 2012. Sania Mirza had won the WTA season-end Finale with Martina Hingis in Singapore recently and fans were hoping to see two Indians with Finals title in the same season, but Bopanna's defeat poured water on those expectations.

Indo-Romanian pair broken early

Signs were ominous from the start as Bopanna was broken in the very first game of the match. They had a chance to get the break back on Tecau's serve in the sixth game but squandered two breakpoints to trail 2-4.

Teacu sealed the first set with an ace in the 10th game. In the second set, too, it was the team of Julien-Roger and Teacu who got the first break and it stayed with them as they closed the match comfortably in their favour.

Bopanna and Mergea, who teamed up for the first time in April, were contesting their fifth final together. They lifted Madrid Masters trophy, won the Stuttgart Open, and finished runners-up in Casablanca and Halle.