Indo-Pak Express

The Indo-Pak men’s doubles pair of Bopanna and Qureshi put up a spirited fight but failed to stop the top seeded Americans Mike and Bob Bryan from winning their third US Open tennis doubles title, 7-6(5), 7-6(4) on Friday.

It was 16th-seeded Bopanna and Qureshi’s maiden Grand Slam final and the duo gave their best to make it a thrilling contest on a windy day. The self-dubbed “Indo-Pak Express” has already made it clear that they are playing for a cause much higher than winning titles.

For the 32-year-old identical twins, the Bryans it was also their 9th Grand Slam title, leaving them just two behind the all time record of Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde’s Grand Slams tally. The Americans have already set the men’s tour record for most doubles titles in Los Angeles in July and could set another at the end of this year for most seasons’ ended ranked No. 1 in the world.

The Indo-Pak duo played an attacking game and delighted the sizeable crowd with occasional sparring with the Bryans at the net. Bopanna and Qureshi served huge, popping aces at will, but it was the American brothers who nosed ahead with a consistent game.

Bopanna and Qureshi were finalists at the tournaments in Nice and Casablanca earlier in the year. The duo captured their first ATP World Tour doubles title in Johannesburg in February. They also reached their maiden Wimbledon quarter-final earlier this year.

An emotional Bopanna-Qureshi, whose attempt at promoting peace across the borders came to the spotlight during their two-week stint here. The two have been sporting shirts with “Stop War, Start Tennis” written on the back.

“It’s been a great run for us. I want to thank Aisam to play with me. We have lost to the Bryans, who are the best doubles team in the world.”Hopefully, we can meet them in the future in some other tournament and give them a tough fight.

Aisam stated they lost to a better team, and losing itself was an experience. We learnt a lot from the Bryans in how to deal with pressure at the final, especially how to strike consistently. He also used the occasion to talk about the prejudice which Pakistanis have been facing in the US.

The Indo-Pak Express was going well till we met the Bryans. They were really good, a little better than us. Today is Eid and I will like to wish everyone in Pakistan and Muslims all over the world Eid Mubarak. Today is also my sister’s birthday. I feel sorry I couldn’t get the best present for her.

“I would really want to thank the crowd. I would also like to say that whenever someone from Pakistan comes here, they are considered to be from a terrorist state. It is not true. Pakistan is a peace loving country as much as other nations are.

By: Devesh D. Bhuwad

Tags: Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi, Bob Bryan, Bopanna, India, Indo-Pak Express, Mike Bryan, Pakistan, Tennis, US Open