Bopanna and Qureshi sail into U.S.Open semi-finals

Company Brief

Bangalore, September 8, 2010

Bangalore Boy Rohan Bopanna is the only Indian left standing at the US Open after a thrilling Quarter-Final encounter with the No. 10 seeds Wesley Moodie and Dick Norman at the Grandstand Stadium in Flushing Meadows, New York.

Rohan and his Pakistani doubles partner Aisam-ul-haq-Qureshi knocked out the dangerous duo in straight sets 7-5, 7-6 winning the tie-break in the decisive set 7-2. This is a momentous occasion for the young pair, who will now make their first ever Semi-Final appearance at a Grand Slam tournament.

"I can't begin to describe the range of emotions we went through today, it was such a closely fought match and to come out victorious in the end, it's just unbelievable. With both our opponents being over 6ft 7inches tall it really wasn't easy handling their serves, but we played confident, positive tennis throughout", says a clearly overwhelmed Rohan, who will now face the unseeded pair of Eduardo Schwank and Horacio Zeballos for a place in the Finals.

The Argentine duo, who knocked out the no.4 seeds Mahesh Bhupathi and Max Mirnyi in the second round, have had a dream run themselves. "They have played really well this entire tournament, and being a left-right combo they can be very difficult to tackle, but Aisam and I have worked really hard and we are in good touch so we are ready for the challenge and hope to come out on top", says Rohan.

The no.16 seeds nicknamed the 'Indo-Pak Express' have been in devastating form and have not dropped a single set all tournament, so we can expect some fireworks in the Semi-Finals.

Rohan and Aisam are the first ever Indo-Pakdoubles team in history to make it to a Grand Slam Semi-Final. With a spot in the Final up for grabs, there is a lot at stake but Rohan is not one to let the occasion get the better of him, "Yes it will be a huge feat to make it to the finals, but we are going to go into this match just as any other match - focused, determined, prepared and not worried about the record-books. We're taking it one match at a time".

With the eyes of the world watching, history beckons for this path-breaking duo

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