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India's Rohan Bopanna and his Australian partner Matthew Ebden got off to a fine start in the men's doubles at the US Open, beating Sander Arends and Robin Haase of the Netherlands in straight sets at Flushing Meadows on Thursday.
The second seeded Indo-Ausssie pair, runners-up at last year’s US Open, need just 64 minutes to overcome the unseeded Dutch duo 6-3, 7-5.
It was Bopanna-Ebden’s first victory in four matches dating back to Wimbledon.
Both pairs won their opening games of the first set before Arends-Haase got a break-point in the third game. However, that was the last slump from second seeds Bopanna-Ebden in the set. They regained composure and won four games on the trot, which included two break-points.
Though the Dutch duo did well to win one game at the end, it wasn’t enough for them to stage a comeback as Bopanna-Ebden easily closed out the set.
Arends-Haase started the second set with renewed vigour. They held serve and secured a break-point to take a 4-1 lead.
The reverse brought the best out of the Australian Open champions. A nice mix of aces and winners, coupled with some unforced errors from the Dutchmen, ensured that the second set reached a point where it was evenly balanced at 5-5.
Bopanna and Ebden earn a break-point to reach 6-5 and then took the next game to seal the issue.
Ebden, the reigning Olympic men’s doubles champion, and Bopanna will meet the Spanish-Argentine pair of Roberto Carballes Baena and Federico Coria in the second round.
Bopanna will also be in action in the opening round of the mixed doubles on Friday, partnering Indonesia's Aldila Sutjiadi.