waw! Paes-Qureshi won!
waw! WAW! It's gonna be Paes against Bhupathi!! Can't wait till Friday....



Results

Doubles

Leander Paes (India) and Aisam Qureshi (Pakistan)
defeated
Ramon Delgado (Paraguay) and Konstantinos Economidis (Greece) 6-4, 6-4

Paes-Qureshi win the first round match to set up a clash with Bhupathi-Ancic.

MUMBAI: The stands never looked so full. The noise was never so deafening. After
two days of relative calm, Wednesday night saw signs of a storm. One, which in a
day’s time could well prove to be the defining moment of the ongoing Kingfisher
Airlines Tennis Open.
No, the action on court wasn’t of top quality. But
when Leander Paes is wielding the racquet, there can never be a dull moment. The
doubles ace, with new partner Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi of Pakistan, steamrollered
past the Paraguay-Greece pairing of Ramon Delgado and Konstantinos Economidis
6-4 6-4 in an opening round clash to set up a mouth-watering second round duel
with Mahesh Bhupathi and Mario Ancic of Croatia.
With Paes’ regular partner
Martin Damm of Czech Republic giving this event a miss — owing to other
commitments back home — the Indian turned to “good friend” Qureshi to save him.
The handsome Pakistani jumped at the offer.
It was never going to be easy.
Both being serve-and-volley players, the coordination never looked perfect. Many
a time, both were seen stranded at the net, while the ball whizzed past. Only,
their opponents were too inexperienced to take advantage of that.
The first
set went on serve, till the Indo-Pak combine broke through in the fifth. They
managed to keep their serve to romp home 6-4 in just 22 minutes. The second set
went along a similar script. Only, this time the break came in the seventh game,
and Paes’ ace in the 10th sealed their opponents’ fate.
The result, in fact,
was a foregone conclusion. The opening hurdle of any event, though tricky, is
normally easy, particularly when one considers a seasoned campaigner like Paes.
The difficult task begins now. More than the double-faults and unforced errors,
they have to get the combination’s balance going right. Though Qureshi’s serve
played a big role in the win, Paes should be a little concerned about his
returns. But in the end, it’s the win that matters, and that came easy.
Paes
admitted as much after the match. “I think we played well considering that we
are pairing up for the first time. Qureshi served extremely well and mine too
wasn’t that bad. We covered the net well. Our game is more instinctive than
strategic. Yes, our returns could have been better. But we’ll improve with every
match,” he said.
He realises the next hurdle will be a tough one. “Yeah,
they (Mahesh and Ancic) are top players. We know what to expect. I consider
ourselves the underdogs,” he added.
Qureshi was modest. “I am playing with
the master. I know even if I make a mistake, he’s there to take care of it. I am
really happy with my serve today,” he said.
Did he learn anything from Paes’
game? “I won’t disclose that,” he laughed. “You’ll see on Friday what I
learnt.”
Courtesy: DNA (Daily News and Analysis)

Singles:
Tommy Robredo (Spain) def. Alexander Peya (Austria) 6-4, 6-2
Dmitry Tursunov(Russia) def. Akash Wagh (India) 6-2, 7-5

Times news Network
It wasnot quite smooth sailing for top seed Tommy
Robredo.
The Spaniard won 6-4, 6-2 but his opponent Alexander Peya of
Austria made him work hard. Peya matched the Spaniard stroke for stroke in the
first set.
Robredo, who does not have an overwhelming serve, relied on
accurate groundstrokes to wear his opponent down. Errors crept into the
Austrian's game as the match went on.

Wild card entrant 16-year-old Akash
Wagh got a lesson in tennis on and off the courts on Wednesday from No.4 seed
Dmitry Tursunov. However, Wagh gave a good account of himself even in defeat.
Tursunov beat Wagh 6-2, 7-5 to advance to the second
round.