In a high-octane Round of 16 clash on Court 2 at the Accor Arena in Paris-Bercy, the Indo-Aussie pair of Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden overcame Germany’s Alexander Zverev and Brazil’s Marcelo Melo 6-4 7-6(5).
Zverev/Melo came out with strong intent in the first couple of points of the match, but two double faults by Zverev derailed their momentum in a way that they never seemed to gain it back throughout the match. On the other hand, Bopanna and Ebden were at their solid best, with Bopanna spotless on serve, and Ebden on return.
In the 2nd set at 1-2 40-30 on Ebden’s serve, there was a moment when Zverev lost his cool. Zverev missed a return on what he believed was a let serve—unnoticed by the chair umpire. After someone from Bopanna/Ebden’s box called out “great serve,” Zverev fired back: “Great serve? Sure, it was a let. Maybe it would help if you could keep quiet for a second.”
Eventually, Bopanna/Ebden came out unscathed to secure their quarter-final spot. Their opponents are yet to be determined. The duo had reached the final here last year.
Photos – Surya Nandhan Rajendhiran (SR28 Sports – https://www.instagram.com/sr28_sports/)
