A split for Bhupathi-Bopanna as World Tour title slips out of their hands

It might have been history for Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna had they won the year-ender as they would have become the first Indians to do so since Vijay Amritraj in 1977. Instead it was a loss as well as a split afterwards, which both players confirmed. (All AFP Photos. Text from AFP and PTI)

Now it's the fifth time that Bhupathi has ended runners-up at the event, where world's top-8 teams compete for the championship. With Paes he ended runner-up in 1997, 1999 and 2000 and with Max Mirnyi in 2010.

Granollers and Lopez became the second Spanish team to win the season-ending championships. The only other Spanish duo to win the championship are Juan Gisbert Sr and Manuel Orantes in 1975 at Stockholm.
The fifth seed Indian pair, making its debut as a pair at the elite event, lost the title clash 5-7 6-3 3-10 to the sixth seeded combine in one hour and 30 minutes.

Bopanna, 32, will play with American Rajeev Ram, while Bhupathi will partner Daniel Nestor in the next season, according to reports. So, this will probably be the last that the pair are seen together, holding a trophy that is.