Bhupathi-Bopanna in final of Dubai Open

Dubai: Mahesh Bhuapthi and Rohan Bopanna, who need to improve their rankings to earn a direct entry into the London Olympics, stormed into the summit clash of the ATP Dubai Open with a straight set win, on Friday.

Fourth seeded Indian pair of Bhupathi and Bopanna edged past the giant killing Austrian pair of Julian Knowle and Alexanderin Peya 7-6 (2), 7-6 (7) in the semi-finals of the USD 1,700,475 hard court event. Knowle and Peya had shocked top seeded pair of Michael Llodra and Nenad Zimonjic in the quarter-finals. Either Bopanna, ranked 11th or Bhupathi (15) need to be in top-10 in the ATP doubles ranking to have a direct entry in the Olympics competition. A top-10 player has the liberty to choose his partner, irrespective of his ranking. The unseeded pair of Leander Paes and Tipsarevic has already exited from the tournament after a 4-6, 5-7 defeat in the first round against second seeds Robert Lindstedt and Horia Teacu. PTI