Bopanna-Mergea score hard-fought first round win at Madrid Open

Rohan Bopanna and his Romanian partner Florin Mergea rallied from a set down to get the better of Marin Draganja and Henri Kontinen in the first round of the men's doubles at the Madrid Open.

The Indo-Romanian pair defeated the Croat-Finnish combination 5-7, 7-6(5), 10-6 to enter the Round of 32.

In a neck-and-neck battle, they saved three of the five break-points they faced and held their nerve in the third set tie-breaker to pull off a hard-fought victory.

Image: Rohan Bopanna

Photograph: Getty Images