India’s star tennis player Rohan Bopanna and his Australian partner Matthew Ebden crashed out of the Australian Open on Friday after losing in straight sets in the men’s doubles first round. He will now play mixed doubles. The Indo-Australian pair lost 3-6, 5-7 to Austria’s Lukas Midler and Alexander Erler. Bopanna and Ebden made many mistakes during the match and they had to bear the brunt of it.

Sania Mirza reaches second round of Australia Open
Playing in her last Grand Slam, Indian tennis star Sania Mirza advanced to the second round of the Australian Open in Melbourne on Thursday. In the women’s doubles, Sania and her partner Ana Danilina of Kazakhstan defeated Dalma Galfi of Hungary and Bernarda Pera of America 6-2, 7-5 in a one-sided match. Sania-Ana pair will face Van Yu and Kalinina in the second round. Wan Yu and Kalinina defeated Zidansek and Hozumi 7–6, 6–3. It will be a tough match for Sania and Ana.

Ana’s world ranking in women’s doubles is 14 and Sania’s rank is 29.

Mirza and Bopanna pair will play mixed doubles
Bopanna’s journey in Australia Open is not over yet. He will play in the mixed doubles category with Sania Mirza. Earlier, the Mirza-Bopanna pair landed in Wimbledon in 2021. The pair was defeated 3-6, 6-3, 9-11 by 14th seeded pair of JJ Roger and Andreja Klepic in the third round. Both have also landed in Rio Olympics 2016. However, the Indian pair missed out on the bronze medal by a narrow margin. They were defeated by Lucie Hradecka and Radek Stepanek of Czech Republic in the bronze match.

Sania and Bopanna will be playing together after almost two years.

India’s Ramanathan, Bhambri, Myneni out in men’s doubles
India’s Ramkumar Ramanathan, Yuki Bhambri and Saketh Myneni made first round exits in men’s doubles on Thursday. Ramkumar Ramanathan had landed with his Mexican partner Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela. Ramanathan lost 6–3 5–7 and 3–6 in a three-set match. Wild card entrants Bhambri and Myneni lost 6-7, 7-6, 6-3 to the Australian-German pair of Andreas Mees and John Peers.

Yuki Bhambri and Saketh Myneni together won the Bangkok Challenger Trophy earlier this month.