India move into finals

Spearheaded by Hyderabad8217;s darling Sania Mirza and Bangalore-based Rohan Bopanna, the duo signed off in style. Exerting themselves for precisely 152-minutes, the Indian8217;s swept aside the challenge from I-Hsuan Hwang and Ti Chen of Chinese Taipei in their respective singles.

India also remained the only team in the six-nation event to not drop a set!

Sania, who8217;s senior international tryst with the city began in 2004 by winning the WTA Hyderabad Open doubles event, has thereafter added two more doubles crowns 8212; the Afro Asian game mixed and women8217;s doubles crowns 8212; to her name before the Hopman Cup fairy-tale.

Bopanna, likewise, playing after the Afro Asian Games where he won the doubles crown in company of Mahesh Bhupathi, thus continued his unbeaten doubles here. The men8217;s singles was shorter, Bopanna winning four games on 8216;love8217; on serve, polishing off Ti Chen in 72-minutes.

Bopanna said: 8220;This has been his best year ever and compared to the match against the Japanese opted to go for the kill early.8221; Having pocketed the tie, the Indians won their mised doubles when their opponents conceded the tie after losing the first set. Reason: boisterous crowd, but for many it was saving themselves a whitewash.

RESULT: India b Chinese Taipei 3-0 Sania Mirza b I-Hsuan Hwang 6-2, 6-4; Rohan Bopanna b Ti Chen 6-3, 6-4; Sania Mirza/ Rohan Bopanna b I-Hsuan Hwang and Ti Chen 6-1, conceded.