Aisam, Bopanna out of Shanghai Masters

Tensely-fought match as Qureshi and Bopanna lose while Roger Federer is to play Novak Djokovic at Masters.

SHANGHAI: Pakistan’s number one tennis player Aisamul Haq and his Indian partner Rohan Bopanna were sent packing out of the Shanghai Masters’ quarter-finals. Third-seeded Leander Paes-Jurgen Melzer ousted the sub-continental pair 6-7(7-6), 7-6(7-6), 10-4 to pave their way into the doubles semi-finals.

The tensely-fought match saw Qureshi and Bopanna claim nine aces compared to their opponents’ four, win the same number of break points, but nevertheless saw them succumbing to the third-seeds powerful serves.

The Indo-Pak Express had earlier defeated South Africa’s Wesley Moodie and Dick Norman from Belgium 6-3, 7-5 in the pre-quarter finals.

Federer to face Djokovic

Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic set up their third major semi-final clash in two months as the pair each sailed to straight-set wins.

Federer was at his ruthless best as he dismantled the big game of Swede Robin Soderling 6-1, 6-1 in just 53 minutes, which took his runaway record in the series to 14-1, with his sole loss in last spring’s Roland Garros quarter-finals.  Meanwhile, second-seeded Djokovic beat Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-2, 6-3.

Fourth-seed Andy Murray overpowered Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-2, 6-2 to face surprise opponent Juan Monaco after the Argentine beat Jurgen Melzer 6-7 (6-8), 7-5, 6-2, a day after the Austrian had put out world number one Rafael Nadal.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 16^th, 2010.

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:

Correction: October 16, 2010

Due to a transcription error, an earlier version of this article misstated that Janko Tipsarevic-Thomaz Bellucci ousted the sub-continental pair.