ATP Finals: Rohan Bopanna, Florin Mergea end as runners-up
London: India's Rohan Bopanna and his Romanian doubles partner Florin Mergea missed out on the ATP Tour Finals title after suffering a 6-4, 6-3 defeat against Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau in Sunday's final.
Bopanna and Mergea had hoped to cap a memorable first season together by winning the prestigious event at London's O2 Arena. But they were blown away in just 60 minutes as Rojer, from the Netherlands, and Romania's Tecau showed why they are set to finish the season as the world's top ranked doubles pair.
The second seeds, who had beaten top ranked Bob and Mike Bryan in the semifinals, needed just one break to take the first set and then swept to victory with two more breaks in a one-sided second set.
It was another frustrating Tour Finals experience for Bopanna, who also finished as runner-up with compatriot Mahesh Bhupathi in 2012. Even so, Bopanna and Mergea's run to the final promises better things in the future for the duo.
Having only teamed up in April, this was their fifth final together. The pair won the Madrid and Stuttgart titles and qualified for the Tour Finals, which features the world's top eight doubles teams, on the last day of the regular season.
Download the all new Deccan Chronicle app for Android and iOS to stay up-to-date with latest headlines and news stories in politics, entertainment, sports, technology, business and much more from India and around the world.