Indo-Pak Express moves to the quarter-final of Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters
The “Indo-Pak Express” Rohan Bopanna and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi prevailed over American/Netherlands Antilles pair of Eric Butorac and Jean-Julien Rojer in straight sets 7-6(4), 6-3 in the second round at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters
in Monaco on Thursday.
Both pairs held their serve easily in the first six games to level the score at 3-3. Bopanna and Qureshi lost four break points in the seventh game as Butorac and Rojer managed to come back from 0-40 down to hold their serve. Serving
at 4-4, the American and Netherlands Antilles pair again saved three break points and succeeded to take a lead of 5-4. The Indo-Pak Express held their serve in the 12th game, taking the set to a tie-break. Bopanna and Qureshi claimed two mini-breaks
in the tie-break to clinch it 7-4.
The Indian-Pakistani pair fired three aces and committed two double faults in the opening set. Bopanna and Qureshi hit 74 percent of the first serves, winning 82 percent of the points on them in the first set. The Indo-Pak duo
saved both break points they faced in the opening set.
After winning a close first set, Bopanna and Qureshi broke their opponents in the third game of the second set, taking a 3-1 lead. They capitalized on the single break of serve and served out the set at 5-3.
The Indo-Pak duo delivered three aces and 54 percent of the first serves in the second set. They won 80 percent of the first service points in the second set. In comparison, Butorac and Rojer served better than their opponents,
hitting 65 percent of the first serves and converting a whopping 87 percent of them into points. The American/Netherlands Antilles pair saved three of the four break points they faced in the second set.
This was a re-match of the first round contest between these pairs at the BNP Paribas Open last month, when Bopanna and Qureshi beat the American/Netherlands Antilles pair in straight sets 7-6(4), 6-4.
Bopanna and Qureshi are aiming to win their first ever ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title. They have reached at least quarterfinals at all three ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events this year. The Indo-Pak Express reached the semi-finals
at the BNP Paribas Open, losing to Ukrainian/Belgian pair of Alexandr Dolgopolov and Xavier Malisse in a three set thriller 6-3, 3-6, 8-10. Bopanna and Qureshi were beaten by Austrian/Serbian pair of Oliver Marach and Janko Tipsarevic in straight sets 4-6,
6-7(8) in the quarterfinals at the Sony Ericsson Open.
The Indo-Pak team will take on second seeded Belarusian/Canadian pair of Max Mirnyi and Daniel Nestor in the quarter-finals. Mirnyi and Nestor defeated French/Croatian team of Richard Gasquet and Ivan Ljubicic in straight sets
6-2, 7-5 in the second round.
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