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Australian Open: Indian challenge fades as Divij Sharan, Ankita Raina take exit door

Divij Sharan with his partner Igor Zelenay of Slovakia lost in straight sets 1-6, 4-6 to the German duo of Kevin Krawietz and Yannick Hanfmann.

Australian Open: Indian challenge fades as Divij Sharan, Ankita Raina take exit door

Divij Sharan. (Photo: IANS)

Indian tennis stars Divij Sharan and Ankita Raina on Thursday bowed out of the ongoing Australian Open after losing their respective first-round matches in men’s doubles and women’s doubles event respectively of the year’s first Grand Slam event in Melbourne.

Sharan with his partner Igor Zelenay of Slovakia lost in straight sets 1-6, 4-6 to the German duo of Kevin Krawietz and Yannick Hanfmann in a match that lasted one hour and four minutes.

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On the other hand, in women’s doubles event, Raina, who partnered with Romania’s Mihaela Buzarnesc, suffered an embarrassing 3-6, 0-6 defeat to Australian pair of Belinda Woolcock and Olivia Gadecki in little over one hour.

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Earlier on Wednesday, Rohan Bopanna had bowed out of the men’s doubles event after he lost his first round contest alongside Japanese partner Ben McLachlan 6-4, 7(7)-6(0) to the South Korean pair of Ji Sung Nam and Min-Kyu Song in a match lasting one hour and 17 minutes.

However, Bopanna will be seen in action on Friday when he will partner Duan Yingying of China to face UK-US pair of Jamie Murray and Bethanie Mattek-Sands in the first round contest of the mixed doubles event.

Sumit Nagal earlier on Tuesday faced a crushing 2-6, 5-7, 3-6 defeat to Lithuania’s Ricardas Berankis to bow out of the men’s singles competition.

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