Bhupathi/Bopanna stuns Lindstedt/Tecau in Group B – Barclays ATP World Tour Finals 2012
Indian duo, Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna, upset the fourth seeds, Sweden’s Robert Lindstedt and Romania’s Horia Tecau, in a three-set thriller at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals 2012 on Wednesday. They clobbered a 6-3, 5-7, 10-5 score line against
their opponents to improve to a 1-1 record in Group B of this year-ending tournament taking place in London, England.
Seeded fifth in this tournament, Bhupathi and Bopanna lost their track in the second set. However, they remained calm and eventually carved out the victory in one hour and 23 minutes for the first time in their third encounter against the Swedish-Romanian
tandem. The teams previously met each other at the Mutua Madrid Open earlier this season and after earning this fame, the Indians lowered trail in the FedEx ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) Head 2 Head Series by 1-2 against Lindstedt and Tecau.
Bhupathi and Bopanna, who captured BNP Paribas Masters title in Paris last week, made quick in-roads at The O2 Arena. They drew the first blood in the second game and cruised to a 3-0 lead. Apart from losing their edge in the seventh game, the Indians capitalised
on another break chance and eventually sealed the opener by winning six games to three.
The fourth ranked doubles tandem, Lindstedt and Tecau, re-focused in the proceeding set. They smoothly kept their entire serves with brilliant co-ordination. The Swedish-Romanian junction got the breakthrough in the last game and clicked the equaliser with
a 7-5 win. They were never threatened with any barrier and converted one out of two break chances to their advantage.
Ranked fifth in the South African Airways ATP World Tour Doubles Rankings, Bhupathi and Bopanna sought their early ascendancy in the final set or the super tie-breaker. They were trailing 3-5 when they hit back and subsequently pulled out the decider with
a 10-5 score line.
In a post match press conference, Bhupathi and Bopanna reflected that their victory in Paris gave them confidence boost and helped them win this match. The Indians also stated that they hit brilliant returns and played great throughout this clash.
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