U.S. Open 2010: Merely down on luck; Pakistan's Aisam Ul-Haq Qureshi
The Indo-Pak Express, consisting of Pakistan's Aisam Ul-Haq Qureshi and India's Rohan Bopanna were made to face defeat at the hands of USA's Bob and Mike Bryan in the 2010 U.S. Open Men's doubles final.
Based upon their straight set win, the Bryan brothers clinched their second grand slam title of the year, having won the 2010 Australian Open in January. Although, Qureshi and Bopanna didn't go down without a fight. The professionals remained evenly contested througout the match. Luck however, seemed to have been on the side of the American duality.
As the match kicked off, both sides went nip and tuck until they eventually ended up in a tie-break. Furthermore, the first set went in favor of the Bryan Brothers, as they defeated the Asians 7-6 (5). The professionals went head-to-head in the second set, only to wind up playing another tie-breaker. Nevertheless, as closely fought as the second set was, the tussle was put to an end after Bob and Mike took the second set 7-6 (4), right after cracking an ace.
While the Bryan brothers celebrated their win with their usual chest-bump, In the midst of an almost innumerable amount of spectators, Aisam Ul-Haq later stated, "Pakistani's are not terrorists, we are as peace loving as all of you. Give us a chance."
With the slogan "Stop War, Start Tennis" imprinted on their tracksuits, Qureshi and Bopanna brought together ambassadors both from India and Pakistan, present at the final. Bopanna exclaimed that Aisam and himself are just trying to promote peace through sports. Doubtlessly, the professionals didn't only form an alliance to benefit themselves.
In the words of John R. Tunis, “There's such a thin line between winning and losing.” Despite the fact that Aisam Ul-Haq was deprived of a championship title, the sportsman has done his fallen nation proud. With the country in a shambles, Qureshi might not have come out victorious at the championship, nevertheless, he proved able enough to put a beaming smile on every Pakistani's face.
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