Top doubles seeds Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden made an impressive start to their grass court season, scoring a straight-sets win over Erler and Miedler in the opening round of the ATP 500 Cinch Championships at Queen’s Club.
The Indo-Australian duo, playing their first competitive match on grass this year, looked sharp and in control throughout the 56-minute contest against the Austrian pair.
In the first set, Bopanna and Ebden landed the first blow by breaking serve in the third game to go up 2-1. The duo kept their lead by not getting broken on their own serve. They then served out the set confidently to win it 6-4 and drew first blood.
The second set followed a similar pattern, with Erler and Miedler starting on serve and taking the initial game. Bopanna and Ebden immediately responded by holding their serve, and then broke their opponents to take a 2-1 lead. They consolidated this break by winning the next game, extending their lead to 3-1. In a final push, Erler and Miedler managed to hold serve one last time to make it 5-4. However, Bopanna and Ebden, showing their experience and synergy, won the final game to close the set at 6-4, sealing their victory.
With this 6-4, 6-4 win, the top seeds have advanced to the quarterfinals in solid fashion. It was an assured start to their grass swing as they aim for bigger results at this prestigious ATP 500 event and beyond.
Bopanna and Ebden will look to build on this opening performance and continue finding their best form and rhythm on grass over the coming weeks.