Pakistan’s Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi and India’s Rohan Bopanna staged a commendable fightback to defeat Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis and Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina and enter the final of the 600,000 Euros Stockholm Open on Friday. The top-seeded India-Pakistan pair won 2-6, 6-2, 10-8, in a match that lasted 68 minutes. In total, they fired 8 aces and saved six of the eight break points they faced. Qureshi and Bopanna were rusty in the opening set as they struggled with their serves, with four double faults to none of their opponents.
Baghdatis and Del Potro were also much better on service returns as they bagged the first set in quick time. However, the Indo-Pak duo came back strongly with a much improved service game to break twice in the second set, which put pressure on their opponents in committing unforced errors, and levelled the match. In the deciding Match Tie-break, both the sides spared no inch to their opponents, but Aisam and Bopanna came up with better serves and held their nerves at crucial moments to come out winners. They converted their first match point itself to claim victory. The pair, currently ranked seventh in the ATP doubles team rankings, are through to their second ATP World Tour final of the season, and will be looking to add to the title they won at the Gerry Weber Open in Halle in June.
They will also be looking to secure one of the three remaining spots in the eight-team field at the ATP World Tour Finals, to be held in London in November. Earlier, Qureshi and Bopanna overcame stiff competition from German pair Michael Kohlmann and Alexander Waske to win their men’s doubles quarter-finals match. ‘The Indo-Pak Express’ won 7-6 (5), 7-5 in 89 minutes on Thursday. Currently seventh in the ‘Battle for London’, they fired 13 aces and converted two of their six break points. In the final, Aisam and Bopanna will take on the winner of the semi-final match between Juan Ignacio Chela of Argentina and Brazilian Andre Sa and the Brazilian pair of Marcelo Melo and Bruno Soares.
