Indian tennis ace Leander Paes and Rohan Bopanna on Saturday crashed out of the men's doubles event at the Rio Olympics after losing to their Polish counterparts in the opening round in straight sets here on Saturday.
The Indian pair were beaten 4-6, 6-7 (6) by Poland's Lukasz Kubot and Marcin Matkowski in a contest that lasted one hour and 24 minutes at the Olympic Tennis Centre.
With the loss, Paes' hopes of winning a second Olympic medal have been crushed within two days of his arrival in the Brazilian city.
The pair were always playing with fire following reports of a distinct lack of on-court chemistry between them, which was further compounded by Paes' delay in joining the squad.
India's hopes now rest on the women's doubles pair of Sania Mirza and Prarthana Thombare and the mixed doubles duo of Bopanna-Mirza.
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