Rohan Bopanna let slip a famous win out of his hands as he squandered three match points to lose the marathon first singles to world number 27 Thomaz Bellucci on the opening day of the Davis Cup World Group play-off tie, here today.

Coming into the tie after his amazing run at the US Open, Bopanna almost had the match in his pocket but nerves got the better of him as he lost 7-6 (2) 6-7 (7) 5-7 6-4 10-8 after slogging for four-and-a-half hours.