Bopanna-Middlekoop pairing settles for runner up finish at European Open

By Saurabh Singh | AITA

India’s top ranked doubles specialist Rohan Bopanna and his partner Matwe Middlekoop of Netherlands fell short at the European Open’s final, an ATP 250 event, to settle for runner up trophy against number two seeded pairing of Aussie John Peers and New Zealand’s Michael Venus in Antwerp, Belgium yesterday.

The Indo-Dutch duo endured a straight sets loss 3-6, 4-6, but managed to fetch combined 150 ranking points and € 7,820 in prize money as a team.

World No. 37 in doubles, Bopanna and his 50th ranked team-mate Middlekoop had a good run at the tournament.

They scalped the fourth seeded British team of Jamie Murray and Neal Skupski in straight sets 6-4, 6-4 in the first-round tie and fifth seeded local pair of Joran Vliegen and Sander Gille in a come-from-behind semi-finals win, 4-6, 6-3, 10-8 en route to the finale.

The higher ranked opponents in the finals, Venus, world No. 10 and Peers, world No. 28, produced a clinical performance to outplay the duo of Bopanna and Middlekoop. The winners managed to hit nine aces in the match while the runners up could manage three. The winning percentage of the first serve at 93% against Bopanna-Middlekoop’s 66% also proved to be one of the important factors in the final result.

Peers-Venus pair won 58 points in the match whereas Bopanna-Middlekoop won 46.

It was the first doubles finals appearance for Rohan Bopanna and Matwe Middlekoop as a team on the ATP Tour

Photo: European Open