Rome, May 14 (IANS): The Indo-Aussie duo of Rohan Boppana and Matthew Ebden once again struggled to find their footing on the clay court as the second seeds were defeated in the Italian open by the home favourites Simone Bolleli and Andrea Vavassori in a dominant fashion winning in straight sets of 2-6 and 4-6.

This latest defeat extends their struggles to three tournaments. They have been unable to find their rhythm on the slower surface, and their struggles are a cause for concern as the French Open approaches.

The duo had a strong start to the season, claiming the Australian Open and Miami Open titles on hard courts. However, their teamwork seems to have faltered on clay. They haven't been able to string together consecutive wins. .

While the Italian Open loss was to the home team duo, recent performances on clay suggest an underlying struggle for the veteran duo. They were overpowered by Bolelli and Vavassori, who capitalized on Bopanna and Ebden's inconsistencies. They overcame another Italian pairing in Passaro/Arnaldi with a score of 6-2, 6-2 in the opening round of the Italian Open.

With the French Open, the pinnacle of clay court tennis, just around the corner, Bopanna and Ebden will need to quickly find their footing on the red dirt as the second Grand Slam open tournament of the season begins on May 20. The duo were eliminated in the first round of the tournament last time out against French duo, Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul and will be looking to improve on their recent form.