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Marathon win puts Aisam, Rohan in LA semi-finals |
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KARACHI: Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi and Rohan Bopanna came out on top in a cliff-hanger to enter the semi-finals of the Farmers Classic ATP Championship in Los Angeles on Friday. Pakistan’s Qureshi and India’s Bopanna turned the match around half-way through the second set to beat Arnaud Clement of France and Jonathan Erlich of Israel 3-6, 7-6 (4), 14-12. The match started poorly for the Indo-Pak duo, who lost the opening service game and eventually the first set 3-6. It all looked like going downhill from then on as they were unable to hold serves early in the second set and went 3-0 down. However, they clawed back into the set with a break of their opponents’ serve to level it 3-3. Qureshi’s improved return of service lifted the South Asian pair’s game as they forced the set into a tie-break. The tie-break saw them lose a break point but Qureshi and Bopanna went on to win five points in a row and the set 7-6(4). A marathon final set, which went into a super tie-break, see-sawed between the two pairs at the LA Tennis Centre. Qureshi and Bopanna went a mini-break down and then a match point down at 7-9 but a sizzling backhand serve return winner by Bopanna saved them from a collapse. The change of fortunes continued until 13-12 when Qureshi was able to close the match with a 14-12 score. Having been under pressure for most of the match, the South Asian duo maintained a first-serve percent of 57 only but hit seven aces in comparison to two by their opponents. However, they saved four of the seven breakpoints to stay in the match. The duo will now face former men’s doubles number one Mike Bryan and Bob Bryan |
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KARACHI:
31/07/2010 |
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