Indo-Pak Express crash out of Indian Wells

The sixth seeds lost to Federer and Wawrinka in the first round.

KARACHI: Pakistan’s Aisamul Haq Qureshi and India’s Rohan Bopanna crashed out of the BNP Paribas Open as they lost to the unseeded pair of Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka 6-2, 6-7, 10-6, in California on Saturday.

Federer and Wawrinka took an hour and 18 minutes to defeat the Indo-Pak duo.

Earlier, Aisam had told The Express Tribune that he is working with a new coach this year. Both Aisam and Bopanna are training with the same coach.

He said that his aim is to improve with each tournament, individually and as a team with Bopanna.

“We have to believe in the process,” Aisam had told The Express Tribune. “We are working hard as a team with our new coach, Scott Davidoff.”

The Indo-Pak Express faced the first-round defeat right after their successful campaign at the Dubai Open, which they won last month. It was Aisam’s first ATP 500 title. However, the duo failed to carry on the momentum at the Indian Wells.

Aisam reunited with Bopanna this year after playing a two a year stint with Netherland’s Jean-Julien Rojer.

The duo has been successful as a team in 2010 when they played the US Open final.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 10^th, 2014.

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