Matches
Doubles R1 - Bhupathi. M/Bopanna. R vs Malisse. X/Skupski. K
|
Winner: Bhupathi. M / Bopanna. R
| Bhupathi. M/Bopanna. R | 5 | 6 | 10 |
| Malisse. X/Skupski. K | 7 | 3 | 5 |
India duo start new season on winning note at Aircel Chennai Open
CHENNAI, Jan. 4, 2012 - Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna got off to a winning start in the new season with a 5-7, 6-3, 10-5 victory over the pair of Xavier Malisse of Belgium and Briton Ken Skupski in the Aircel Chennai Open on Wednesday.
Bhupathi and Bopanna, the top seeded pair in India's only and South Asia's leading ATP World Tour event, had announced in December they were getting together for 2012, with their sights firmly on a medal in the summer Olympics in London in July.
Bopanna, with a world ranking of 11 in doubles, and Bhupathi, placed four rankings above his partner, were broken once each as the Indian pair went down in the opening set.
"It was the least ideal start possible," Bhupathi said referring to the first-set loss. "It was a loose first game. In the second set we knew we had to stay ahead to win and constantly put pressure on them and it paid off," Bhupathi added.
Bopanna said the first match of a new season was always tough. "It was good that we came out with a win," he said.
The Indians meet the pair of Andreas Beck of Germany and Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka in the quarterfinals.
