India's only entry in US Open Singles' main draw, Saketh Myneni fought bravely for every point before losing to Jiri Vesely of Czech Republic in the first round on Monday.
Myneni was Bopanna's first choice as double's partner for Rio Olympics. He was also crucial in India's Davis Cup win over South Korea.
Ranked 143 in the world, Myneni steamrolled Serbian Pedja Krstin (6-3, 6-0) in the third round of US Open qualifiers to confirm a spot in the main draw of the Grand Slam.
But in the first round of US Open Myneni fought tooth and nail to move ahead. Playing at the court 9 of Flushing Meadows, Vesely beat Myneni 7-6(5) 4-6 2-6 6-2 7-5.
The match lasted 3 hours 47 minutes. By the start of the last set, Myneni was physically spent and limping. That took a toll on his serve power and Vesely took advantage of that to set up second-round clash with Novak Djokovic.
After splitting four sets, Myneni broke the Czech in the fourth game to take a crucial 3-1 lead and led 4-2 in the fifth set. The match changed at that stage as Myneni took a medical time out due to issue in his right thigh but managed to hold for a 5-2 cushion.
From a commanding position, Myneni lost grip over the He surrendered serve twice after that as he hardly had the strength to stand. An error-prone Vesely kept the hopes of the Indian alive but Myneni was now limping, barely managing to stay. Veseley just needed to keep the ball in play to close the contest.
Myneni gave a mighty scare to the world number 49 Jiri Veseley before limping out of the US Open as leg spasms scuttled his victory march. He had a match point in the eighth game of the fifth set but stiffness in the right thigh restricted his movement badly and he was forced out
Myneni is the first Indian since Somdev Devvarman, who qualified in 2013, to reach the US Open main draw.
(With PTI inputs)
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 "Saketh Myneni, Tennis, US Open 2016, US Open, Jiri Vesely,")
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