Aisam reaches mixed doubles semis

Aisam ul Haq Qureshi on Monday advanced to the mixed doubles semi-finals of the US Open, alongside Kveta Peschke.

NEW YORK:

Pakistan’s number one tennis player Aisamul Haq made history as he become the first player from the country to reach a semi-final in any Grand Slam event as he and his Czech partner Kveta Peschke defeated Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay and Gisela Dulko of Argentina 3-6, 6-2, 10-4.

This comes after Aisam became the first Pakistani to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals with his Indian partner Rohan Bopanna, who are both ranked 15th in the ATP rankings.

The South American pair took the first set, after which the Pak-Czech duo got their act together and displayed a commanding performance to win the second set. The third and final set saw Aisam and Peschke in a tie-break which they won by claiming ten points as opposed to the South American pair’s four. Aisam and his partner have now booked a showdown with Anna-Lena Groenefeld of Germany and Mark Knowles of the Bahamas in the semi-finals.

Aisam is also participating in the men’s doubles event with Bopanna, where they recently ousted second-seed Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic 6-3, 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals. The pair now face ninth-seed Wesley Moodey of South Africa and Dick Norman of Belgium.

Federer marches on

Roger Federer, a 16-time Grand Slam champion seeking his sixth US Open title and seventh finals appearance in a row, powered his way into a 26th consecutive Grand Slam quarter-final. The Swiss second seed, one shy of tying the all-time record Slam last-eight streak belonging to Jimmy Connors, defeated Austrian 13th seed Jurgen Melzer 6-3, 7-6 (7/4), 6-3.

Federer, who also ousted Melzer from the fourth round at Wimbledon, saved the only two break points of the second set then won the last three points of the tie-breaker to seize command of the match.

After an early exchange of breaks in the third set, Federer denied Melzer on four break points in the fifth game to hold, then broke for a 4-2 edge, saved three more break points to hold for a 5-2 edge and held again to win the match.

Soderling sets up last-eight tie with Federer

The second-seed will next face Swedish fifth seed Robin Soderling, who fired 15 aces in dispatching Spanish 21st seed Albert Montanes 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-3. Meanwhile, Serbian third seed Novak Djokovic advanced to the quarter-finals by defeating US 19th seed Mardy Fish 6-3, 6-4, 6-1.

Djokovic, the 2008 Australian Open champion, will now face 17th seed Frenchman Gael Monfils, who beat countryman Richard Gasquet 6-4, 7-5, 7-5. Monfils is 0-4 against Djokovic but pushed him to five sets in round one of the 2005 US Open, to three sets at the 2008 Beijing Olympic quarter-finals and into a third-set tie-breaker before dropping last year’s Paris indoor final.

Wozniacki stuns Sharapova

Top seed Caroline Wozniacki stayed on course for her maiden Grand Slam title with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Maria Sharapova in a pulsating fourth-round tie.

It was Sharapova’s vulnerability on serve at key points that proved to be the main difference in the match, handing vital breaks to the Dane through double faults in each set. Wozniacki will play unseeded Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia for a place in the semi-finals.

The world number two went into the match having dropped just three games in her first three outings in New York, the least in a Grand Slam event by any woman since Mary Pierce at the 1994 French Open. But Sharapova, who had won their two previous meetings, both coming in 2008, and, after battling back from injury, had been showing glimpses of her best form in the last few weeks.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 8th, 2010.