ATP Finals: Rohan Bopanna-Matthew Ebden Fall To Top-Seeds Marcelo Arevalo-Mate Pavic
Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden lost to Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic 5-7, 3-6 at the ATP Finals.
Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic overcame their defeat in the opener to claim a crucial victory at the ATP Finals, defeating Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden 7-5, 6-3 in a pivotal round-robin clash on Wednesday. The win keeps the top-seeded duo’s hopes alive of advancing to the knockout rounds. Arevalo from El Salvador and Pavic of Croatia, riding a powerful mid-match surge in which they won 15 consecutive points, wrapped up the 68-minute match in style.
“I think we had to give it our all today; this was the match to [essentially] stay in the tournament," Arevalo said. “Anything can happen, and we know that. Today, we put in extra energy. Mate and I decided to go out there and give our best. We were lucky to execute in the important moments and finally, we ended up getting the win."
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The Salvadoran-Croatian pair, now 1-1 in the Bob Bryan Group, will next face Italian favourites Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori in their final group match. A win there would improve their chances of reaching the knockout stages and becoming the first top-seeded duo to win the event since the Bryan brothers in 2014.
“It’s good to get a win; we actually haven’t won a match since the US Open," Pavic said. “It’s something we are not used to at this level [losing five straight matches], but it can happen; everybody is playing well. We are very happy to have turned it around and got the win today. Hopefully, we can go out there on Friday and play a good match."
The win also bolstered their pursuit of the ATP Year-End Doubles No. 1 ranking, with Arevalo and Pavic 410 points ahead of rivals Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos, who are 0-2 in the Mike Bryan Group.
This tournament marks the last for Bopanna and Ebden as a team, concluding their two-year partnership.
Earlier, they suffered a loss against the home favorites Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori in their opening match.
Bopanna and Ebden will next face Germany’s Kevin Krawietz and Tim Putz in their final group-stage match, but their chances of advancing to the semifinals are slim.
(With inputs from Agencies)
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