Heartbreaking loss for Peers at Roland Garros
John Peers and Henri Kontinen beaten in close Roland Garros men's doubles quarterfinal.
Paris, France, 5 June 2018 | tennis.com.au
Australian John Peers and Finnish partner Henri Kontinen’s career-best Roland Garros run has ended in the quarterfinals.
Spanish combination Feliciano Lopez and Marc Lopez defeated the third-seeded duo 6-4 6-7(2) 7-6(3).
The 12th-seeded Spaniards, who won Roland Garros in 2016, looked in control of the match after taking the first set and racing ahead 3-0 with a double break in the second. But Peers and Kontinen, competing in their first quarterfinal in Paris, fought back to level the match.
The Australian-Finnish team continued their momentum in the third set and had a match point at 5-4, but could not convert. Lopez and Lopez recovered to force a deciding tiebreak, which they won 7-3.
It ends Peers’ quest for the No.1 ranking, a position he could have claimed if he won the title.
Rinky Hijikata is now the last Australian standing in Paris. The 17-year-old from New South Wales faces American Brandon Nakashima in a boys’ singles second round match tonight.
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