Gunning for their first Grand Slam title,Rohan Bopanna and Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi fought their hearts out but had to be content with a runners-up trophy at the US Open as the Indo-Pak Express lost the mens doubles final 6-7(6),6-7 (4) to Americans top seeds Mike and Bob Bryan on Friday. Bopanna and Qureshi did not look like a team playing their first ever Grand Slam final as they made the world number one pair work hard for points and played enthralling tennis for more than one-and-a-half hours. It was nevertheless a dream run for the two players as for the first time an Indian and a Pakistani player combined to reach the final of a Grand Slam event. They might have failed to win a title but Bopanna and Qureshi were successful in sending the message loud and clear that sport can help dissolve the boundaries and India and Pakistan can watch,play and earn glory. For the Bryan brothers,it was their second Grand Slam title of the season and also a revenge victory,having lost the Washington quarter-finals to the Indo-Pak team. It was also their ninth doubles crown. Double heartbreak Bopanna was bidding to become only the fourth Indian player to win a Grand Slam but for him it turned out to be a case of close yet so far. For Qureshi,it was double heart-break as he lost in the final of the mixed doubles also. Qureshi,partnering Kveta Peschke of the Czech Republic,lost 6-4,6-4 to the United States Liezel Huber and Bob Bryan in the mixed doubles final. Hardly showing any signs of nerves Bopanna-Qureshi went about their business impressively,not dropping a game in the first set and in fact,created the first break chance. Bobs serve was too hot to handle so they attacked weak serve of Mike,and a forehand volley by Bopanna earned them the breakpoint in the third game. But the crowd favourite Bryan brothers saved that. They were more dominant at the start of the first-set tie-breaker but the Bryan brothers knew how to handle big points and came back from 1-3 down to win the tie breaker and the lead. Both pairs though played fascinating tennis as Bopanna hit some stunning shots,especially a backhand winner on the fourth point,and the Bryan brothers were a treat to watch at the net. The Americans raised their game when it mattered and were in more control of the match in the second set,which saw the favourites clinching points more easily. Nadal,Federer on course for showdown NEW YORK: Rafael Nadal heads into Saturdays US Open semifinals with the look of a player ready to win the only Grand Slam title missing from his collection. The top seed faces No. 12 Mikhail Youzhny,while No. 2 Federer plays No. 3 Novak Djokovic. If Nadal and Federer win,the two will resume their rivalry in Sundays final and become the first pair of men to play each other at least once in the finals of all four Grand Slam tournaments. Djokovic,meanwhile,has made it this far for the fourth US Open in a row,and he keeps running into Federer. Djokovic lost to him in the final in 2007,and in the semifinals in 2008 and 2009. Federer will be playing in his seventh consecutive US Open semifinal. He won the other six.
