Paris Olympics 2024 Tennis: India's Challenge Ends After Rohan Bopanna-Sriram Balaji Crash Out

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India's tennis challenge in Paris Olympics 2024 ended after the pair of Rohan Bopanna and N Sriram Balaji crashed out of the men's doubles event following straight sets defeat in the first-round match on Sunday (July 29) night.

The Indian pair lost 7-5, 6-2, against the French pair of Gael Monfils and Edouard Roger-Vasselin in the opening round match that lasted 1 hour and 16 minutes on Court 14 at the Roland Garros.

The French duo converted two of their three break-point chances, enabling them to take a hard-fought first set. Meanwhile, Bopanna-Balaji made 15 unforced errors, which stopped them from taking control of the match.

In the second set, the French pair broke Bopanna-Balaji's serve in the fourth and eighth games to clinch a straight sets win to book their second round meeting with second seeds Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz of Germany.

Bopanna had won the Australian Open title with Matthew Ebden earlier this year. However, the veteran's quest for Olympic glory may be over and it was probably the last time Bopanna represented India in a multi-sport event as the 44-year-old has already announced his retirement from Davis Cup.

Earlier in the day, the lone singles player from the country, Sumil Nagal also failed a French challenge following a defeat to mercurial Corentin Moutet, who earned a stylish three-set win.

In his second appearance at the Olympic Games, Nagal bounced back after losing the first set but fell 2-6 6-4 5-7 in two hours and 28 minutes at a packed court seven at the Roland Garros.

In the Tokyo Games, Nagal had lost in the second round to Russian Daniil Medvedev but could not make the most of a manageable opener today. He was up 2-0 in the decider with an early break but allowed Moutet to claw his way back and win.

With that the Indian challenge ended in a single day and the country will need to wait for their second Olympic medal for even longer. India have won only one Olympic medal in tennis, when Leander Paes bagged a bronze in the 1996 Atlanata Games.