Bopanna/Fyrstenberg outlast Butorac/Hanley in opening round – Winston-Salem Open 2012
Indo-Pole tandem, Rohan Bopanna and Mariusz Fyrstenberg, stomped over the American-Australian pair, Eric Butorac and Paul Hanley, in a three-set nail-biter at the Winston-Salem Open 2012 on Wednesday. They summed up a 6-4, 6-7(4), 10-3 success against their rivals to progress into the quarter-finals at the Wake Forest University in North Carolina, United States.
The top seeded tandem showed spectacular tennis in their partnership debut at this Emirates Airline US Open Series event. They lost their concentration in the second set but e-ignited their spark in the final set, eventually carving out the victory in one and a half hour. The Indo-Pole junction warded off all four breakpoints they came across and required a single break of serve to earn the fame.
Bopanna and Fyrstenberg entered this ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) World Tour 250 series event in high spirits. They drew the first blood in the third game and leaped to a 3-1 lead. The Indo-Pole pair stayed focused and easily swiped their entire serves, eventually sealing the opener by winning six games to four.
Ranked 77th in the South African Airways ATP World Tour Doubles Rankings, Butorac and Hanley rebounded in the follow-up set. They smoothly plucked their entire serves without facing any barrier. The American-Australian duo found a break opportunity but squandered it, consequently prolonging the set to a tie-breaker. They edged past the seeds in it and clinched the equaliser with a 7-6(4) score line.
The highest ranked pair at this event, Bopanna and Fyrstenberg, re-gained their early ascendance and form in the final set or the super tie-breaker. They jumped to a 4-2 lead in it before clicking the decider with a 10-3 success.
Next up for the seeds is the Spanish-Argentinean tandem, Pablo Andujar and Leonardo Mayer, who overpowered Mikhail Elgin and Denis Istomin in straight sets to set up this battle.
The second seeds, Britain’s Jonathan Marray and Denmark’s Frederik Nielson, faced a bitter fate later that day. The exited to the Spanish-Brazilian pair, David Marrero and Andre Sa, in brutal straight sets in the opening round. Marray and Nielson capitalised on one out of six break chances but lost their serve three times, eventually suffering a 3-6, 6-7(3) loss in one hour and 16 minutes.
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