California, March 11: Indian tennis player Rohan Bopanna and his Uruguayan partner Pablo Cuevas lost 6-2, 3-6, 7-10 to Serbians Novak Djokovic and Viktor Troicki in the opening round of the ATP Indian Wells Masters here on Saturday, March 11.

The Indo-Uruguayan pair, who were the favourites, started on a positive note by winning the first set comfortably. They outplayed the Serbian pair in every department to take a crucial lead.

The second set saw a brilliant fightback from the Serbians, leading to the decisive tie-breaker.

In the third set, the Indo-Uruguayan pair led till 4-2 but soon the Serbs upped the ante and prevailed over the former 7-10 to clinch the match.

Despite the defeat, the Indian challenge is still alive in the tournament. Leander Paes and Juan Martin Del Potro will take on Sam Querry and Gilles Muller in their opening round.

IANS