Hesh-Bopanna bounce back in second game
9 Nov 2012 5:16 AM IST
Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna today won their first Group B match with a 6-3 5-7 10-5 win over Robert Lindstedt and Horia Tecau to keep their semifinal hopes alive while Leander Paes and Radek Stepanek also made a winning start at the ATP World Tour Finals.
It was a good comeback for fifth seeds Bhupathi and Bopanna after losing the first match to Jonathan Marray and Frederik Nielse.
In a Group A match, third seeds Paes and Stepanek began their campaign with a 6-4 7-5 win over seventh seeded pair of Aisam-ul-haq Qureshi and Jean-Julien Roger, yesterday.
In Wednesday’s match Bhupathi and Bopanna raced to a 3-0 lead by breaking Lindstedt’s serve in the second game. However, the sixth seed Romanian-Swedish team broke Bhupathi in the sixth game to get back on serve. Lindstedt suffered a second successive break of serve to leave Bopanna to clinch the 28-minute opener with a hold.
Bhupathi, rock solid at the net, ended a short exchange with a forehand volley winner.
As the second set drew closer to a tie-break, with neither team looking likely to break serve, Lindstedt and Tecau raised their return games. Tecau hit a forehand winner on Bhupathi’s serve at 30/40 to capture the second set in 43 minutes.
In the Match tie-break, Lindstedt and Tecau broke clear at 3-3, winning two straight points for 5-3. But Bhupathi and Bopanna responded brightly.
PAES-STEPANEK WIN OPENER AT O2 ARENA
Third seeds Leander Paes and Radek Stepanek began their campaign at the season-ending World Tour finale with a straight set win over seventh seeds Aisam-ul-haq Qureshi and Jean-Julien Roger.
The Indo-Czech pair got the better of Pakistan-Dutch combo, runners-up at Paris Masters last week, 6-4 7-5 in their opening Group A match.
Stepanek, making debut at the event, saved one break point on sudden death deuce in the second game. Rojer recovered from 30/40 at 3-3, before Qureshi was broken to 30 as Stepanek and Paes produced solid returns and attacked the net.The Czech closed out the 41-minute set with his second ace as the duo won the game.
It was a good comeback for fifth seeds Bhupathi and Bopanna after losing the first match to Jonathan Marray and Frederik Nielse.
In a Group A match, third seeds Paes and Stepanek began their campaign with a 6-4 7-5 win over seventh seeded pair of Aisam-ul-haq Qureshi and Jean-Julien Roger, yesterday.
In Wednesday’s match Bhupathi and Bopanna raced to a 3-0 lead by breaking Lindstedt’s serve in the second game. However, the sixth seed Romanian-Swedish team broke Bhupathi in the sixth game to get back on serve. Lindstedt suffered a second successive break of serve to leave Bopanna to clinch the 28-minute opener with a hold.
Bhupathi, rock solid at the net, ended a short exchange with a forehand volley winner.
As the second set drew closer to a tie-break, with neither team looking likely to break serve, Lindstedt and Tecau raised their return games. Tecau hit a forehand winner on Bhupathi’s serve at 30/40 to capture the second set in 43 minutes.
In the Match tie-break, Lindstedt and Tecau broke clear at 3-3, winning two straight points for 5-3. But Bhupathi and Bopanna responded brightly.
PAES-STEPANEK WIN OPENER AT O2 ARENA
Third seeds Leander Paes and Radek Stepanek began their campaign at the season-ending World Tour finale with a straight set win over seventh seeds Aisam-ul-haq Qureshi and Jean-Julien Roger.
The Indo-Czech pair got the better of Pakistan-Dutch combo, runners-up at Paris Masters last week, 6-4 7-5 in their opening Group A match.
Stepanek, making debut at the event, saved one break point on sudden death deuce in the second game. Rojer recovered from 30/40 at 3-3, before Qureshi was broken to 30 as Stepanek and Paes produced solid returns and attacked the net.The Czech closed out the 41-minute set with his second ace as the duo won the game.
Next Story
