New York: The India-Pakistan pair of Rohan Bopanna and Aisam-Ul-Haq-Qureshi marched into the quarterfinals of the US Open with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Paul Hanley and Dick Norman in a third round men’s doubles match here Sunday.
Sania Mirza, however, had to taste defeat with her Russian partner Elena Vesnina. The sixth seed pair bowed out of the competition after losing to the Czech duo of Iveta Benesova and Barbora Zahlavova Strycova 6-7, 6-7 in the third of the women’s doubles.
Bopanna-Qureshi, last year’s finalists and seeded fifth in the current edition, got the better of the Australian-Belgian combine of Hanley and Norman in 60 minutes.
They next meet Britan’s Colin Fleming and Ross Hutchins, who got a walkover from 13th seed pair of Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez.
India’s best bet at the Open, Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi, play their third round match against Somdev Devvarman and Treat Conrad Huey later in the day.
Meanwhile, Rafael Nadal had a relatively comfortable time on court but a frightening and painful one off it at the U.S. Open, collapsing in agony during his post-match press conference.
The No.2 seed beat Argentine veteran David Nalbandian 7-6 (5), 6-1, 7-5 to progress to the round-of-16 but the toil from the match played in muggy conditions caught up to him in the media room.
He rolled his head back, squeezed his eyes shut, covered his contorted face with his left arm as he stopped taking question.
He paused between deep breaths to plead in Spanish, “Can you call a trainer for me, please?” Then slowly the defending tournament champion slithered out of his chair and onto the ground.
Within minutes, Nadal was sitting up, and then standing, after being given bags of ice to soothe what was diagnosed as leg cramps.
Even if it all amounted to nothing serious medically — as Nadal and his manager would later insist — it was a bizarre scene, one at least as memorable as anything that took place on court Sunday at the year’s last Grand Slam tournament.
“It’s bad luck it happened here,” Nadal said, “and not in the locker room.”
Andy Murray and David Ferrer — seeded fourth and fifth respectively — had much easier Sundays, both notching straight-sets victories.
Murray beat No.25 seed Feliciano Lopez 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 to set up a fourth-round clash with unseeded American Donald Young, who reached that stage of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time, beating Argentine Juan Ignacio Chela 7-5, 6-4, 6-3.
Ferrer downed German Florian Mayer 6-1, 6-2, 7-6 (2) and will also face an American next, in the shape of Andy Roddick, who downed France’s Julien Benneteau 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 (2).
Four American men had made it to the last 16 in a strong showing by the host nation.
Others moving on included No. 12 Gilles Simon, who got past 2009 champion Juan Martin del Potro 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-2, 7-6 (3); and unseeded Luxembourger Gilles Muller who beat Russian Igor Kunitsyn 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 and will face Nadal for a quarterfinal berth.
Fifth-seeded Sam Stosur, the 2010 French Open runner-up, isn’t likely to forget her 6-2, 6-7 (15), 6-3 victory Sunday night over No. 25 Maria Kirilenko — or at least the second-set tiebreaker. The 17-15 score made it the longest tiebreaker played by two women at any Grand Slam tournament, according to the WTA.
Second seed Vera Zvonareva beat Sabine Lisicki of Germany 6-2, 6-3 on Sunday to advance to the quarterfinals of the US Open.
“I think I played pretty consistent this match,” Zvonareva said in an on-court interview. “I think I did everything right today.”
Zvonareva advanced to a showdown against Australian Sam Stosur, a 6-2, 6-7, 6-3 winner over Russian Maria Kirilenko. (Agencies)