India's tennis campaign at the Paris Olympics came crashing down in just one day as Sumit Nagal and the men's doubles pair of Rohan Bopanna and N Sriram Balaji lost their opening rounds to make an unceremonious exit.
Nagal was the first to bow out as he went down 2-6, 6-4, 5-7 to Corentin Moutet of France in a three-set contest. Competing at his second Olympics, Nagal engaged in a pulsating duel with his French opponent which lasted for two hours and 28 minutes.
The Indian tennis sensation came back strongly to win the second set after being totally outplayed in the first one. Nagal, 26, had the game covered up until the point when he was leading Moutet 2-0 in the deciding set, however, the French athlete kept his composure to claw his way back into the fixture and finished it off with a result in his favour.
Nagal's disappointing exit was followed by another dispiriting outcome when India's only doubles pair - Bopanna and Balaji took the court against the French pair of Edouard Roger-Vasselin and Gael Monfils.
The Indian duo fought hard and was inches away from taking the first set before Edouard Roger-Vasselin and Gael Monfils shut the door down. The second set saw sheer dominance on display by the French pair and it translated into a first-round exit for the Indian pair.
The outcome of the game has probably put an end to Bopanna's playing career for India. The Karnataka-born has already announced his retirement from the Davis Cup.
However, Bopanna may still continue playing in major events worldwide alongside his Australian doubles partner Matthew Ebden. Ebden and Bopanna won the Australian Open men's doubles title earlier this year and are ranked third and fourth in the ATP rankings.
Meanwhile, India won its first medal at the Paris Olympics by virtue of a scintillating performance by Manu Bhaker. Manu claimed bronze in the 10m air pistol category.
