Both pairs had to wait to continue their third set due to rain. PHOTO: AFP/FILE
Pakistan tennis ace Aisamul Haq Qureshi and his Dutch partner Jean-Julien Rojer advanced into the third round of Wimbledon as they overcame Belgium’s Xavier Malisse and Britain’s Ken Skupski 6-3, 6-7(1), 6-3, 6-7(5), 8-6 in the men’s doubles event yesterday.
The fifth-seeded duo defeated Malisse and Skupski in three hours and five minutes.
Aisam and Rojer were off to a great start, taking the opening set before their opponents hit back in the second. However, both pairs had to wait to continue their third set due to rain.
After the break, Aisam and Rojer made a comeback to win the third set 6-3. Malisse and Skupski levelled the match, only to lose in the super tie-break 8-6.
In the mixed double’s category, Aisam and Zimbabwean Cara Black are due to play against Mark Knowles and Sabine Lisicki in the second round.
Murray keen to avoid upset
Meanwhile, in the men’s singles draw, second-seed Andy Murray believed upsets were not far away if a player lost concentration.
He kept his campaign to become Britain’s first male Wimbledon champion since 1936 comfortably on course, as he breezed past Spanish veteran Tommy Robredo, the 32nd seed, 6-2, 6-4, 7-5.
“Upsets are never far away and you have to be very focused on your game to avoid that,” said Murray, who has seen Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Marin Cilic all removed from his path to the final.
“People are putting even more pressure on me because of the nature of how the draw has worked out. It would be a lot easier if we just concentrated on each match at a time.”
Experienced Russian Mikhail Youzhny appeared on Murray’s radar after the 20th-seed beat Viktor Troicki in straights sets, 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 to reach the last-16 at Wimbledon yesterday.
In another match, Bernard Tomic sent ninth-seed Richard Gasquet tumbling out as he defeated the elegant Frenchman 7-6(7), 5-7, 7-5, 7-6(5).
Robson first British woman in last-16 since 1998
Laura Robson became the first British woman to reach the Wimbledon fourth round in 15 years when she came from a set and 3-5 down to defeat New Zealand’s Marina Erakovic, 1-6, 7-5, 6-3 yesterday.
Sam Smith, in 1998, was the last British woman to make the last-16 at Wimbledon.
Robson, currently ranked 38 in the world, will also break into the top 30 after the tournament, the first British woman to break that barrier since Jo Durie in April 1987.
“I was facing a tough time in the first set,” said Robson. “I was struggling to return her serve in the first set and Marina was playing really well.
“But I told myself just to keep working hard, she will get nervous and that’s what happened.”
In another third-round match, former champion Petra Kvitova regained her focus overnight to return with a zip in her step and see off Russian Ekaterina Makarova 6-3, 2-6, 6-3.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 30th, 2013.
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Well done and keep up the good work.
thanks