The Indian pair began brightly, taking the first set with relative ease, but lost their way midway through the second, as U.S. took firm control of the match after breaking Sania’s serve in the fourth game.
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Sania and Bopanna have another chance to bag India’s second-ever medal in tennis in the history of the Olympics as they will now contest the play-off for the bronze against Lucie Hradecka and Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic on Sunday.
Four years ago in London, Sania, partnering Leander Paes, made it to the mixed doubles quarter-finals.
“Personally for me it would be incredible to win a medal at the Olympics, which I don’t have”.
The Indian pair still has a shot at the bronze medal for which they will now play losers in the of the encounter between Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Jack Sock of the United States versus Lucie Hradecka and Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic.
Mirza and Bopanna were one of the few medal hopes remaining for India in the tournament after most of the big names faltered at Rio.
The match went on serve in the first set until 4-4 when Peers lost his serve.
The mixed doubles action will start on Wednesday at the Tennis Centre in the Olympic Park.
The Indian lost 28-30, 30-28, 27-27, 27-28 28-28 to bring to an end the country’s medal-less campaign. This was my first Olympics. Sometimes, you put your best foot and still lose.
He had won a singles bronze at 1996 Atlanta Games. However, he bungled the advantage by shooting his poorest in the sixth and final series, which yielded him his lowest score of 102.4.
The men’s badminton doubles duo of Manu Attri and B. Sumeeth Reddy also crashed out of the Rio Olympics after going down in straight games 13-21, 15-21 to China’s Chai Biao and Hong Wei.
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Later the tale of misery continued with quarter miler Mohammed Anas, half miler Jinson Johnson, the trio of 20km race walkers – Gurmeet Singh, Manish Singh Rawat and Krishnan Ganapathy, long jumper Ankit Sharma and woman sprinter Dutee Chand bowing out without causing a ripple. The World No.1 in women’s doubles said that it will take a lot of time for her to get over the loss.
