By the second set the American duo were camping on the baseline while receiving serve and that’s a defensive strategy hardly conducive to penetrative doubles. “We would have preferred the other draw, but we were handed the tougher draw, so at the end of the day we came through and we nearly played our best, though we can play better”. We played two unbelievable champions today and we look forward to playing champions, whoever it is, tomorrow.
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Although, after the first set ended, the pair of Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna found the counter attacking of Venus William and Rajeev Ram, too hot to handle. If they win the semifinals match, Sania and Bopanna will be assured of at least a silver and if they lose, they will still play for the bronze-medal match. “We have to do the right thing and recover as soon as possible mentally and physically, probably more mentally than physically, and try and come out there and have another shot at a medal”, she added.
Stepanek was all class in the bronze medal contest as the Czech unleashed his powerful strokes, constructed the rallies and finished points with his superlative display. I tried my best but could not succeed.
Sania said she needs to get over the grief and get ready for the Cincinnati event on the WTA Tour. That’s what happens when you’re a girl. Lucie came out to serve out the opening set.
“We feel as a team together”. There’s not much I can say at the moment.
It was a clinical performance after the warning call in the first two games that forced the Indian team to get into top gear straightaway.
The use of the “I” formation by the Indians, wherein the player on the net stands on the middle line and is thus able to dart to either side while the partner serves, followed up by penetrative lobs by Mirza did unsettle the rhythm of the Americans in the beginning.
The duo swept through the WTA circuit in the second half of previous year and will be defending points for winning five titles until the end of the season – including the US Open Grand Slam event and the WTA Finals. “That’s the way me and Mahesh (Bhupathi) used to play and that’s the way me and Rohan play”, the victor of six doubles Grand Slam title said. We knew we had to put our “A” game out there with especially Andy. Garcia trails the Indo-Swiss duo by a little more than 4,100 points but has to defend only 920 ranking points in the coming months – giving her a big chance to overtake the Indo-Swiss duo.
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Playing their second Olympics after London Games, Jwala and Ashwini lost 17-21 15-21 to finish their outing with a hat-trick of defeats. “That was the obvious choice”, said Bopanna. “We won! Oh my God”, said Vesnina, who captured the Montreal doubles title with lifelong friend Makarova on the eve of Rio. It’s going to be a tough match again and we have to be confident.
