Aisam-Bopanna duo lifts tennis crown in Paris

Pakistan’s No 1 tennis star Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi and India’s Rohan Bopanna claimed their first ever ATP Masters crown when they crushed France’s Julien Benneteau and Nicolas Mahut in a one-sided final on Sunday.
Both Aisam and Bopanna were in full flow in a final that just lasted for 65 minutes as they raced to a 6-2, 6-4 triumph in the Paris Masters final in the French capital to bag their third title of the season. Before Sunday’s title-winning triumph, the Aisam-Bopanna duo had won the Gerry Weber Open at Halle and the Stockholm Open.
Ranked seventh in the world doubles rankings, Aisam and Bopanna had already qualified for the year-ending ATP Masters finale to be played in London later this month. The Paris win gave the pair 1000 ranking points and a prize purse of 134,500 euros.
Benneteau and Mahut, who had shocked top seeds Mike and Bob Bryan en route to the final, managed to put up a better show in the second set but failed to stop their rampaging opponents from winning the title. Both the pairs were locked in a close battle in second set and at one stage were locked at 4-4.
But the Indo-Pak team broke Mahut when the Frenchman committed his second double fault in the ninth game, sixth overall, to offer a break chance. Aisam and Bopanna then served out the match in the next game after facing a few anxious moments. The result should come as a huge morale-booster for Aisam and Bopanna in the lead up to the London finale where the duo will be competing for the first time.
“We’ve been working hard and hopefully will produce more positive results in the future,” said Aisam, who together with Bopanna, reached the final of the US Open men’s doubles event last year. Aisam and Bopanna – regarded among leading sport stars in the subcontinent – are also campaigning for peace between Pakistan and India.