Bopanna/ Qureshi upset Mirnyi/ Nestor to advance to the semi-finals of Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters
The Indo-Pak duo of Rohan Bopanna and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi defeated second seeded Belarusian/Canadian pair of Max Mirnyi and Daniel Nestor in straight sets 6-1, 7-5 in the quarter-finals at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters on Friday. It took the Indo-Pak Express just one hour and 14 minutes to beat its opponents.
Bopanna and Qureshi took off to a flying start as they thrashed Mirnyi and Nestor in the opening set, breaking their opponents in the fourth and sixth game to win the set 6-1. The Indo-Pak Express saved the only break point they faced in the third game of the first set. Bopanna and Qureshi successfully converted two of the five break point opportunities they received in the opening set.
After losing the first set abysmally, Mirnyi and Nestor managed to save four break points as they trailed 0-40 in the opening game of the second set. The Indo-Pak Express succeeded in breaking their opponents in the third game, taking a 2-1 lead. However, the Belarusian/Canadian pair broke back immediately to level the score at 2-2. Bopanna and Qureshi broke again in the seventh game and this time they managed to hold their serve in the next game to go ahead 5-3. Serving for the match at 5-4, the Indo-Pak team failed to seal the match as they were broken for the second time in the set. After the score getting tied at 5-5, Bopanna and Qureshi won two consecutive games to clinch the second set 7-5.
The Indo-Pak team capitalized on three of the nine break points it received in the second set. On the other hand, Mirnyi and Nestor could convert just two of the seven break point opportunities they had in the second set.
This is Bopanna and Qureshi’s first appearance at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters. In the second round, they defeated the American/Netherlands Antilles pair of Eric Butorac and Jean-Julien Rojer in straight sets 7-6(4), 6-3. The tandem is now drawn to meet the Argentinean/Brazilian pair of Juan Ignacio Chela and Bruno Soares in the semi-finals. Chela and Soares beat Ukrainian/Russian pair of Sergiy Stakhovsky and Mikhail Youzhny in straight sets 6-4, 6-3 in the quarter-finals.
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