French Open 2023: Yuki-Saketh pair reaches second round, Bopanna knocked out

French Open 2023: Yuki Bhambri and Saketh Myneni kept the Indian challenge alive as the duo defeated local wildcards Arthur Rinderknech and Enzo Couacaud 6-3, 6-2.

FILE PHOTO: Yuki Bhambri (left) and Saketh Myneni (right). | Photo Credit: AM FARUQUI/The Hindu

Rohan Bopanna’s campaign at the French Open ended with a first-round defeat in men’s doubles at Roland-Garros, Paris on Wednesday.

Bopanna and his Australian partner Matthew Ebden, sixth seeds, went down 5-7, 6-7(5) to the local pair of Fabien Reboul and Sadio Doumbia in an hour and 39 minutes.

The Indo-Australian pair had entered the tournament after winning titles at Indian Wells and Doha while also finishing as runner-up in Rotterdam and Madrid.

Bopanna had reached the French Open semifinals last year with Dutchman Matwe Middelkoop.

Yuki Bhambri and Saketh Myneni kept the Indian challenge alive as the duo got its first Grand Slam win together, defeating local wildcards Arthur Rinderknech and Enzo Couacaud 6-3, 6-2 to set up a second-round clash with ninth-seeded Mexican-French pair of Santiago Gonzalez and Edouard Roger-Vasselin.

Another all-Indian pair - Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan and N. Sriram Balaji - got entry into the main draw as alternates but they lost 3-6, 4-6 to Ilya Ivashka of Belarus and Alexei Popyrin of Australia in the first round.

India has previously won three titles in men’s doubles at the French Open. Leander Paes won the crown twice with compatriot Mahesh Bhupathi in 1999 and 2001 before clinching his third title with Czech player Lukas Dlouhy in 2009.