Melo/ Soares upset Bopanna/Qureshi in quarterfinal – Valencia Open 2011
Unseeded team of Brazilians, Marcelo Melo and Bruno Soares, required three sets to upset the fourth seeded pairing of Indian Rohan Bopanna and Pakistani Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi in the quarterfinal of the 2011 Valencia Open in Valencia,
Spain on Wednesday, 3rd November. The Brazilians took only sixty two minutes as they bounced back from a set down to secure a 0-6, 6-4, 10-8 victory over the Indo Pak express.
This was the pair’s fifth meeting on the court and the fourth this year. The pair had earlier met in the first round of the Vienna event where the Indo Pak express had levelled the head-to-head series to two matches each. However,
the Brazilian took almost no time for three sets as they once more rushed into the lead.
Opening serve in the first set were Bopanna and Qureshi. After a successful hold of serve, the pair rushed into an early lead as they broke their opponents in the second game going three games to none in the score. Breaking their
opponents once more, the Indo Pak express stood at 5-0. A final break in the sixth game, gave Bopanna and Qureshi a perfect 6-0 in the first set as they move one up in the set score.
Down but not out, the Brazilians bounced back in the second set. Winning their first game in the match, the Brazilians forced the score to progress on serve before breaking their opponents to go 4-2 in the score. From there on
the score progressed on even terms. Poised at 5-4 in the set, the Brazilians served out the set to clinch a 6-4 win and bring the set score to even terms.
With one set win for each team the match entered the deciding tiebreaker set. Both teams gave it their all to edge past the other into the final four. The neck-to-neck run continued well into the tiebreaker keeping the score tied
for the first sixteen points. Neither team would let up. However, an errant stroke from the South Asians gave the Brazilians the mini break they needed as they reeled off two straight points to clinch the tiebreaker 10-8 and ensure their survival at the event.
The Brazilians now move into the final four of the event where they will play either the top seeded Bryan brothers or the Czech Slovak duo of Frantisek Cermak and Filip Polasek.
Also making it into the quarterfinal of the event was the pairing of Eric Butorac and Jean-Julien Rojer. Butorac/ Rojer met and defeated the local pairing of Daniel Gimeno-Traver and Pere Riba taking only one hour and twenty three
minutes to secure a 7-6(0), 7-5 win.
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