New Delhi: After winning their second ATP title together, the 'Indo-Pak Express' of Rohan Bopanna and Aisam-ul-haq Qureshi said winning the tense final at the Gerry
Weber Open was like surviving Russian roulette.
The top seeded Indo-Pak pair lost the second set and were staring down the barrel after trailing 1-5 in the decisive tie-breaker but held their nerves to come out triumphant against Robin Haase and Milos Raonic 7-6(8), 3-6, 11-9.
Bopanna said the final was a game of chance with a lot of risk taking involved. "Today we were a set up, but also 5-1 down in the Match Tie-break so we were lucky, played some good shots and showed some quick hands. That's how it goes, it's like Russian Roulette, so we were happy to come through all these breakers
(this week)," Bopanna said after the victory.
"Aisam and I are loving playing on the grass; it?s our favourite surface. So getting a title here is fantastic for us. We've been coming to Halle for many years now so it’s a really happy moment for us getting this title," Bopanna added.
Bopanna and Qureshi received 250 ATP ranking points and the Pakistani said the victory has boosted their confidence for the season ahead. "I'm really happy that we won our last two matches in a match Tie-break. It's going to make us mentally tougher and believe in ourselves even more," said Qureshi.
"We're just looking forward to the rest of the year. Our goal is to win a Grand Slam title and to qualify for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, and this is one step forward," Qureshi said.
PTI
First Published: Monday, June 13, 2011, 17:42