Australian Matt Ebden has been thwarted in his bid to become the world No.1 doubles player, suffering an off day on the way to getting knocked out in the last-four at the ATP Finals in Turin.
The 35-year-old Ebden was left a picture of disappointment after he and 43-year-old Indian partner Rohan Bopanna were beaten 7-5 6-4 in the semi-finals by Spain's Marcel Granollers and Argentina's Horacio Zeballos in the Pala Alpitour on Saturday.
In a match dominated by serve, two poor games on Ebden's delivery - one in either set - was enough to tip the tie decisively in favour of Granollers and Zeballos, whose 80-minute victory denied their opponents the chance to finish the season as the world No.1 team while enhancing their own hopes of achieving the same landmark.
