London: Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupahti parted ways on a disappointing note, bowing out of the ATP World Tour Finals following a semifinal loss to eighth seeded Poles Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski here.
Fourth seeds Paes and Bhupathi, competing in their last tournament together since rejoining forces earlier this year after a nine-year seperation, went down 4-6, 6-4, 6-10 in one hour and 39 minutes last night.
Fyrstenberg and Matkowski will now meet third seeds Daniel Nestor and Max Mirnyi in their 31st tour-level doubles final (11-19 record).
Both teams gave little away until the 10th game of the first set, when Bhupathi, serving at 4-5, fell to 30/40.
He saved the set point by dashing for a backhand volley winner that pierced the Polish duo down the middle. However, Matkowski forced Bhupathi into a forced volley error at sudden death deuce to clinch the first set 6-4 after 39 minutes of play.
Fyrstenberg and Matkowski won all 11 of their first service points and 20 of 27 overall.
In the second set, Paes found himself at 15/40 in game two. The Indians remained in control of the point until Fyrstenberg changed the pace of the rally by hitting a lob down the line, the ATP said in a release.
It caught Paes off guard. Scrambling back to the baseline, he hit a short lob that Fyrstenberg smashed away for a 2-0 lead. Bhupathi and Paes responded immediately by winning three straights games, including a sudden death deuce point at 2-2, 30/40, when Matkowski hit the Poles third double fault of the match.
Two more service breaks were exchanged midway through the set before Bhupathi and Paes broke decisively at 4-4, when Bhupathi hit a low return to the feet of a net-rushing Matkowski, only for Paes to poach a forehand volley that gave Fyrstenberg no chance of keeping the rally alive. Paes closed out the 46-minute set with a hold to 15.
Bhupathi and Paes looked to be in control at 3-0 lead in the match tie-break, but the Poles took their chances on return of serve to win nine of the next 11 points.
At 5-5, Paes mis-timed a forehand volley off Bhupathi’s serve, giving Fyrstenberg an easy forehand into space. Fyrstenberg took advantage of the lapse in concentration with two quick service points. (PTI)