Bopanna`s ranking improves; Somdev slides

New Delhi: Indian tennis player Rohan Bopanna has risen to a career-best ninth in the ATP doubles rankings after the title triumph at the Gerry Weber Open in Germany.

Bopanna and his Pakistani partner Aisam-ul-haq Qureshi won the doubles event in Halle, Germany and their second title together also helped the Indo-Pak pair climb to number five in the teams` rankings from six. The runners-up finish at the AEGON Championships in London brought Leander Paes back into top-10, just behind Bopanna.Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi lost the final to Americans Mike and Bob Bryan. Bhupathi, though, was static on number five. In singles, Sania Mirza slid to 60th from 58th but maintained her 14th position in the doubles. She also held her third position in the WTA doubles race championship with Russian partner Elena Vesnina.Sania could not make the singles main draw of Eastbourne WTA event this week. In ATP singles, Somdev Devvarman lost a place to be 68th. PTI