Rohan Bopanna and Sania Mirza combined well to get the better of Samantha Stosur and John Peers 7-5, 6-4 and won their first round mixed doubles match here on Thursday night.
The rain on Wednesday made the tennis schedule a bit of a mess. In the original order of play, the match was slated to be the fourth fixture on a certain court. The organisers chose to stick to the set order even though the first match which featured Rafael Nadal in doubles had to be delayed on account of the fact that his singles stretched on earlier. Since a player has to be given a certain amount of rest, around an hour depending on the duration, the whole schedule for that particular court got pushed late into the evening.
In cold blustery conditions, Stosur’s lack of doubles prowess was apparent as she seemed unsure of just when to rush the net and when to stay back.
India were firmly in command when they broke Peers at 4-4, allowing Bopanna a chance to serve out the set. That was not to be as the break back followed instantly. Then, Stosur was broken (6-5) to allow Sania to serve out the first set 7-5.
{{/usCountry}}India were firmly in command when they broke Peers at 4-4, allowing Bopanna a chance to serve out the set. That was not to be as the break back followed instantly. Then, Stosur was broken (6-5) to allow Sania to serve out the first set 7-5.
{{/usCountry}}A Peers double fault at 2-2 in the second set saw India get a break up, and from there on the Indians were in cruise mode even as the Aussies showed increasing signs of nerves. Bopanna served out the match to finish the second set 6-4.