Lindstedt/Tecau battle past Bhupathi/Bopanna to reach final – Mutua Madrid Open 2012
Sixth seeded tandem, Sweden’s Robert Lindstedt and Romania’s Horia Tecau, trounced the Indians, Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna, in a three-set nail-biter at the Mutua Madrid Open 2012 on Saturday. They summed up a 6-4, 1-6,
10-7 victory against the seventh seeded Indians to secure a spot in the final showdown at this blue clay court event taking place in Spain.
The Swedish-Romanian duo needed an hour and 16-minute venture to get the better of Bhupathi and Bopanna in their first encounter at this ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) World Tour Masters 100 event. After pocketing this
match, Lindstedt and Tecau moved a step closer towards their eighth career title together.
Lindstedt and Tecau powered into Park Manzanares and drew the first blood in the third game to leap to a 3-1 lead. They swiped in their entire serves without facing any real challenge and eventually bagged the opener by winning
six games to four.
The Indians made a fitting reply in the second set and pulled out the equaliser with a breadstick. They reeled off the opening five games in a row before Lindstedt and Tecau could hold on. Bhupathi and Bopanna kept their serve
once more and equalised the set scores.
Ranked fourth in the ATP World Tour Doubles Rankings, Lindstedt and Tecau re-gained their strength in the super tie-breaker. They dominated in it and subsequently conquered the Indians with a 10-7 score line.
Summing up the higher seeds’ performance, the Swedish-Romanian junction clobbered a better first serve share of 58 per cent as compared to their rivals’ 56 per cent and impressively marked 22 out of 30 points on it. They also hammered
seven aces and spilled fewer double faults to steal the show.
The winning collaboration of Lindstedt and Tecau made a slow start in their opening match against Frantisek Cermak and Filip Polasek. They lost the opening set but carved out the victory in three sets to reach the final eight.
Lindstedt and Tecau carried their momentum and fended off late resistance to outclass the Spanish duo, Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez, in straight sets to secure this spot.
Tags: