Rohan Bopanna-Matthew Ebden advances to French Open second round

In the opening match at the French Open in Paris, second seeds Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden triumphed over Brazilian duo Orlando Luz and Marcelo Zormann in a hard-fought three-set battle on Sunday.

Despite a challenging encounter, the Australian Open champions managed to secure a 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 victory after two hours and seven minutes of play.

Luz and Zormann, who entered the tournament as the eighth alternate pair due to a series of withdrawals, posed a significant challenge to Bopanna and Ebden. The second seeds quickly took a 4-1 lead, benefiting from a double break. However, the resilient Brazilians fought back, winning four consecutive games to level the score at 5-5.

The experienced Indo-Australian team managed to break Luz’s serve, with Bopanna delivering powerful returns from the baseline and Ebden complementing with precise volley winners. Ebden then served out the first set smoothly.

In the second set, Zormann was broken in the opening game after an intense rally with Ebden. Bopanna then faced three break points, saving two with accurate serves before Zormann's winner equalized the score. Ebden's serve faced immense pressure in the fourth game, enduring six deuce points over nine minutes before he eventually held serve with an overhead smash.

Ebden faced pressure again in the eighth game, starting with a double fault and followed by errors that gave the Brazilians several break chances. Despite saving the first break point, Ebden's second double fault put Luz and Zormann ahead 5-3. Luz then served for the set, but Bopanna's impressive performance at the net and baseline allowed the second seeds to break back. However, Bopanna’s serve was broken for the third time, leveling the match at one set all.

In the final set, a crucial break of serve in the fifth game gave Bopanna and Ebden the upper hand. This time, they maintained their lead, with Bopanna closing out the match to secure their place in the second round.