India's tennis ace Sania Mirza has decided to pull out of the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/.../racquet-kicking-osaka-admits-she-was-a-bit- childish-275957">Australian Open</a>'s mixed doubles draw due to calf injury. Her mixed doubles partner Rohan Bopanna will now pair up with Sania's double's team partner Nadiia Kichenok.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/what-a-journey-its-been-sania-mirza-after-winning-hobart-international-tournament-275116">What a journey it's been: Sania Mirza after winning Hobart International Tournament</a>

The Former World No 1 doubles player made a comeback after two years gap by winning the Hobart International. Her calf injury was visible in the later stages of the tournament.

Bopanna has crashed out in the first round of the men's doubles in the Aussie&nbsp;Open. He and his partner Japan's Yasutaka Uchiyama were beaten by USA's Bryan brothers (Bob and Mike) in a close encounter (1-6, 6-3, 3-6).&nbsp;

Sania has still not confirmed if she would be available for women's doubles match scheduled on Thursday. She has not yet decided to pull out of women's doubles draw.

On the other hand, Indian tennis legend Leander Paes is in his final season as a professional is taking part in the mixed doubles too. He is paired alongside his Latvian Ostapenko. His partner Jelena Ostapenko has won the French Open women's singles in 2017. He will take part in the tournament as a wildcard. The duo is set to face Storm Sanders and Marc Polmans.

India's tennis ace Sania Mirza has decided to pull out of the Australian Open's mixed doubles draw due to calf injury. Her mixed doubles partner Rohan Bopanna will now pair up with Sania's double's team partner Nadiia Kichenok.

India's tennis ace Sania Mirza has decided to pull out of the Australian Open's mixed doubles draw due to calf injury. Her mixed doubles partner Rohan Bopanna will now pair up with Sania's double's team partner Nadiia Kichenok. Also read: What a journey it's been: Sania Mirza after winning Hobart International Tournament The Former World No 1 doubles player made a comeback after two years gap by winning the Hobart International. Her calf injury was visible in the later stages of the tournament. Bopanna has crashed out in the first round of the men's doubles in the Aussie Open. He and his partner Japan's Yasutaka Uchiyama were beaten by USA's Bryan brothers (Bob and Mike) in a close encounter (1-6, 6-3, 3-6). Sania has still not confirmed if she would be available for women's doubles match scheduled on Thursday. She has not yet decided to pull out of women's doubles draw. On the other hand, Indian tennis legend Leander Paes is in his final season as a professional is taking part in the mixed doubles too. He is paired alongside his Latvian Ostapenko. His partner Jelena Ostapenko has won the French Open women's singles in 2017. He will take part in the tournament as a wildcard. The duo is set to face Storm Sanders and Marc Polmans.

Australian Open: Sania Mirza pulls out of mixed doubles citing calf injury

Divij Sharan on Monday became India's new number one doubles player, overtaking veteran Rohan Bopanna by moving to 38 in the latest ATP rankings.

The left-handed Sharan, who has been one of the most consistent players on the doubles circuit with partner Artem Sitak, has held the numero uno position in the country for the first time in his career.

Bopanna dropped nine places to 39 while Leander Paes gained two places to be 60 in the world now.

Another consistent player Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan touched a career-high rank of 72 with a jump of three places.

"It feels pretty amazing to have become the highest ranked player in India today. It's not easy by any means with Mahesh, Leander and Rohan having dominated the doubles circuit for the last couple of decades but they have carved the path and set the trend for the rest of us," the 32-year-old Sharan told PTI.

"We have had as many as seven players from India ranked in the top 100 this year which is impressive. Personally it's been another positive year for me where I was able to achieve my best ranking of 36 and win a gold medal for India at the Asian Games," he said.

Sharan said he will cherish the moment and strive to get better.

"I am really happy that all the work I have put in is paying off and the milestone of being the highest ranked player in the country is something I can cherish with my family and the people who have helped me with my career. I am still looking to work hard on my game and achieve even more next year," he said.

Sharan has won only one Challenger this season but reaching the Wimbledon quarterfinals was the highlight of the 2018 season for him. He also reached semifinal stage of various ATP 250 tournaments this year.

In the singles, Yuki Bhambri dropped a place to 108 and was followed by Ramkumar Ramanathan (121, +3), Prajnesh Gunneswaran (142, +4) and Sumit Nagal (311, +1).

In the WTA charts, Ankita Raina remains India's lone singles player in the top-200 at number 197. Karman Kaur Thandi, who ended runner-up at Nanning on Sunday, was static at 215. Her points from Nanning will be added next week.&nbsp;

Divij Sharan on Monday became India's new number one doubles player, overtaking veteran Rohan Bopanna by moving to 38 in the latest ATP rankings. The left-handed Sharan, who has been one of the most consistent players on the doubles circuit with partner Artem Sitak, has held the numero uno position in the country for the first time in his career.

Divij Sharan on Monday became India's new number one doubles player, overtaking veteran Rohan Bopanna by moving to 38 in the latest ATP rankings. The left-handed Sharan, who has been one of the most consistent players on the doubles circuit with partner Artem Sitak, has held the numero uno position in the country for the first time in his career. Bopanna dropped nine places to 39 while Leander Paes gained two places to be 60 in the world now. Another consistent player Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan touched a career-high rank of 72 with a jump of three places. "It feels pretty amazing to have become the highest ranked player in India today. It's not easy by any means with Mahesh, Leander and Rohan having dominated the doubles circuit for the last couple of decades but they have carved the path and set the trend for the rest of us," the 32-year-old Sharan told PTI. "We have had as many as seven players from India ranked in the top 100 this year which is impressive. Personally it's been another positive year for me where I was able to achieve my best ranking of 36 and win a gold medal for India at the Asian Games," he said. Sharan said he will cherish the moment and strive to get better. "I am really happy that all the work I have put in is paying off and the milestone of being the highest ranked player in the country is something I can cherish with my family and the people who have helped me with my career. I am still looking to work hard on my game and achieve even more next year," he said. Sharan has won only one Challenger this season but reaching the Wimbledon quarterfinals was the highlight of the 2018 season for him. He also reached semifinal stage of various ATP 250 tournaments this year. In the singles, Yuki Bhambri dropped a place to 108 and was followed by Ramkumar Ramanathan (121, +3), Prajnesh Gunneswaran (142, +4) and Sumit Nagal (311, +1). In the WTA charts, Ankita Raina remains India's lone singles player in the top-200 at number 197. Karman Kaur Thandi, who ended runner-up at Nanning on Sunday, was static at 215. Her points from Nanning will be added next week.

Divij Sharan is new number one doubles players of India

Indian tennis ace Rohan Bopanna and his French partner Edouard Roger-Vasselin will aim to book their place in the finals of the Monte Carlo Masters when they head into their last-four clash of the men`s doubles event here on Saturday.

The Indo-French duo will cross swords with third-seed pair of Austria`s Oliver Marach and Croatia`s Mate Pavic for a place in the summit showdown.Yesterday, Bopanna and Roger-Vaselli eased past the Colombian team of Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah, who reached the Australian Open final this year, 6-4, 6-4 in a one-sided quarter-final clash.

Earlier, the unseeded Indo-French duo had to work hard as they bounced back from a set down and saved three match points to clinch a 3-6, 6-4, 11-9 over two-time Grand Slam champions Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares in one hour and 22 minutes and seal a last-eight spot.

In another semi-finals clash of Monte Carlo, the fourth-seeded Bryan brothers will also take on Italian team of Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini for a place in the finals.

The two head into their last-four clash of the men`s doubles event today

Indian tennis ace Rohan Bopanna and his French partner Edouard Roger-Vasselin will aim to book their place in the finals of the Monte Carlo Masters when they head into their last-four clash of the men`s doubles event here on Saturday. The Indo-French duo will cross swords with third-seed pair of Austria`s Oliver Marach and Croatia`s Mate Pavic for a place in the summit showdown.Yesterday, Bopanna and Roger-Vaselli eased past the Colombian team of Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah, who reached the Australian Open final this year, 6-4, 6-4 in a one-sided quarter-final clash. Earlier, the unseeded Indo-French duo had to work hard as they bounced back from a set down and saved three match points to clinch a 3-6, 6-4, 11-9 over two-time Grand Slam champions Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares in one hour and 22 minutes and seal a last-eight spot. In another semi-finals clash of Monte Carlo, the fourth-seeded Bryan brothers will also take on Italian team of Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini for a place in the finals.

Monte Carlo Masters: Bopanna,Vasselin eye final berth

Indian Tennis players Leander Paes and Rohan Bopanna notched up a hard fought win in the doubles contest to keep India's chances alive in their Davis Cup Asia/Ocenia Group I tie against China on Saturday.

44-year-old Paes and Bopanna downed a fighting Chinese pair of Mo Xin Gong and Ze Zhang 5-7, 7-6(5), 7-6(3) in the do-or-die doubles.&nbsp

With this win, Paes becomes the most successful player in the history of the tennis competition.

Paes was tied on 42 wins with Italian great Nicola Pietrangeli for a long time, but the Kolkata born star finally surpassed him with his 43rd victory.

In the first set, Paes' service was broken in the 11th game after the two pairs were tied at 5-5.

The Indians got more break opportunities than the hosts but struggled to kill it off.

The Indians broke Gong in the third game for a 2-1 lead and then held on.

In the decider, Paes and Bopanna frittered away a 3-1 lead by losing three games in a row to trail 3-4.&nbsp

Paes came out to serve at 5-6 and went down 0-30 but the veteran used all his experience to pull off the crucial hold to force another tie-breaker.

In the tie-breaker, the two players used all their experience to roll over the lower-ranked Chinese and pull off the triumph.

The Indian youngsters will now have to win both the reverse singles to advance to the World Group Play-offs. 
&nbsp

44-year-old Paes and Bopanna downed a fighting Chinese pair

Indian Tennis players Leander Paes and Rohan Bopanna notched up a hard fought win in the doubles contest to keep India's chances alive in their Davis Cup Asia/Ocenia Group I tie against China on Saturday. 44-year-old Paes and Bopanna downed a fighting Chinese pair of Mo Xin Gong and Ze Zhang 5-7, 7-6(5), 7-6(3) in the do-or-die doubles. With this win, Paes becomes the most successful player in the history of the tennis competition. Paes was tied on 42 wins with Italian great Nicola Pietrangeli for a long time, but the Kolkata born star finally surpassed him with his 43rd victory. In the first set, Paes' service was broken in the 11th game after the two pairs were tied at 5-5. The Indians got more break opportunities than the hosts but struggled to kill it off. The Indians broke Gong in the third game for a 2-1 lead and then held on. In the decider, Paes and Bopanna frittered away a 3-1 lead by losing three games in a row to trail 3-4. Paes came out to serve at 5-6 and went down 0-30 but the veteran used all his experience to pull off the crucial hold to force another tie-breaker. In the tie-breaker, the two players used all their experience to roll over the lower-ranked Chinese and pull off the triumph. The Indian youngsters will now have to win both the reverse singles to advance to the World Group Play-offs.

Davis Cup: Leander Paes creates history as India win doubles match

Mate Pavic won his second Australian Open title in 24 hours Sunday, pairing with Gabriela Dabrowski to beat Timea Babos and Rohan Bopanna 2-6, 6-4, 11-9 in the mixed doubles final.&nbsp;

The eighth seeds saw off the Hungarian/Indian fifth seeds in 1hr 8min on Rod Laver Arena.

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Put your hands up for a Grand Slam!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AusOpen?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AusOpen</a> <a href="https://t.co/7hgsfmeAsL">pic.twitter.com/7hgsfmeAsL</a>
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The win for Croat Pavic came a day after he triumphed in the men&#39;s doubles final with Austrian partner Oliver Marach in a night match on Saturday.

It was Pavic&#39;s third career Grand Slam title having also won the US Open mixed doubles in 2016, while Canadian Dabrowski won her first Slam at last year&#39;s French Open.

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Hungary&#39;s Timea Babos (L) and India&#39;s Rohan Bopanna pose with their runner-up plates. (AFP)
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Mate Pavic and Gabriela Dabrowski beat Timea Babos and Rohan Bopanna 2-6, 6-4, 11-9 in the mixed doubles final

Mate Pavic won his second Australian Open title in 24 hours Sunday, pairing with Gabriela Dabrowski to beat Timea Babos and Rohan Bopanna 2-6, 6-4, 11-9 in the mixed doubles final. The eighth seeds saw off the Hungarian/Indian fifth seeds in 1hr 8min on Rod Laver Arena. Put your hands up for a Grand Slam!#AusOpen pic.twitter.com/7hgsfmeAsL — #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 28, 2018 × The win for Croat Pavic came a day after he triumphed in the men's doubles final with Austrian partner Oliver Marach in a night match on Saturday. It was Pavic's third career Grand Slam title having also won the US Open mixed doubles in 2016, while Canadian Dabrowski won her first Slam at last year's French Open. Hungary's Timea Babos (L) and India's Rohan Bopanna pose with their runner-up plates. (AFP) ×

Australian Open: Pavic, Dabrowski win mixed doubles

India&#39;s Rohan Bopanna and Divij Sharan lost their respective men&#39;s doubles third round matches in the Australian Open here today.

Combining with Edouard Roger-Vasselin of France, Bopanna lost to Oliver Marach of Austria and Croatia&#39;s Mate Pavic 6-4 6-7 (5) 3-6 at the Melbourne Park.

The match lasted a little over two hours and saw the Indo-French duo convert one out of two break points, while their opponents converted three out of 12 break points.

Bopanna and Roger-Vasselin had two aces compared to their opponents&#39; seven.

In an earlier match, the duo of Sharan and Rajeev Ram from the USA suffered a 6-3 6-7 (4) 4-6 defeat at the hands of Lukasz Kubot of Poland and Brazil&#39;s world number one Marcelo Melo.

While Sharan and Ram converted two out of six break points, Lukasz and his partner converted two out of four break points. The third round match lasted two hours and 12 minutes.

India's Rohan Bopanna and Divij Sharan lost their respective men's doubles third round matches in the Australian Open here today. Combining with Edouard Roger-Vasselin of France, Bopanna lost to Oliver Marach of Austria and Croatia's Mate Pavic 6-4 6-7 (5) 3-6 at the Melbourne Park. The match lasted a little over two hours and saw the Indo-French duo convert one out of two break points, while their opponents converted three out of 12 break points. Bopanna and Roger-Vasselin had two aces compared to their opponents' seven. In an earlier match, the duo of Sharan and Rajeev Ram from the USA suffered a 6-3 6-7 (4) 4-6 defeat at the hands of Lukasz Kubot of Poland and Brazil's world number one Marcelo Melo. While Sharan and Ram converted two out of six break points, Lukasz and his partner converted two out of four break points. The third round match lasted two hours and 12 minutes.

Bopanna, Sharan lose in men's doubles at Australian Open

Indian tennis star Rohan Bopanna was seen practising along Swiss maestro Roger Federer ahead of the Australian Open final on Saturday.

Bopanna and Federer practiced for an hour, sharing some lighter moments as well.

Rohan Bopanna spoke to WION and recounted the experience of playing with Federer.

Bopanna believes that his practice sessions with Australian Open champion Roger Federer served as a learning experience.

&quot;One day before the singles final, Ivan Ljubicic (Federer&rsquo;s coach) asked me if I wanted to practice with Roger. I&nbsp;agreed as we don&rsquo;t get many opportunities like this,&rdquo; Bopanna said.&nbsp;

&quot;He is a true champion. What he has done is truly exceptional. He is such a great person. I know him on and off the court. It was a firm practice, a very good practice for an hour. I think I really enjoyed the practice. We were sharing laughs and keeping us relaxed,&rdquo; said Indian tennis star.

&quot;Everyone has huge respect for him.He was definitely favourite to win the Australian Open.He is someone to get very easy to get along with and winning the 20th grand slam is truly special, it shows the amount of hard work he puts in the game. It makes him really exceptional,&rdquo; he added.

Bopanna posted a footage of the session with the legend himself on his Twitter account.

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Just a relaxed Saturday afternoon hit ????????. <a href="https://twitter.com/rogerfederer?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@rogerfederer</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/theljubicic?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@theljubicic</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/thedavidoff?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@thedavidoff</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/AustralianOpen?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AustralianOpen</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/tennis?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#tennis</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/melbourne?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#melbourne</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/tennislife?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#tennislife</a> <a href="https://t.co/QDk3Sbutsu">pic.twitter.com/QDk3Sbutsu</a>
&mdash; Rohan Bopanna (@rohanbopanna) <a href="https://twitter.com/rohanbopanna/status/957143649262776320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 27, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Rohan Bopanna-Timea Babos lost the Australian Open mixed doubles final 6-2, 4-6, 9-11 to Mate Pavic-Gabriela Dabrowski on Sunday.

Bopanna posted a footage of the session with the legend himself on his Twitter account

Indian tennis star Rohan Bopanna was seen practising along Swiss maestro Roger Federer ahead of the Australian Open final on Saturday. Bopanna and Federer practiced for an hour, sharing some lighter moments as well. Rohan Bopanna spoke to WION and recounted the experience of playing with Federer. Bopanna believes that his practice sessions with Australian Open champion Roger Federer served as a learning experience. "One day before the singles final, Ivan Ljubicic (Federer’s coach) asked me if I wanted to practice with Roger. I agreed as we don’t get many opportunities like this,” Bopanna said. "He is a true champion. What he has done is truly exceptional. He is such a great person. I know him on and off the court. It was a firm practice, a very good practice for an hour. I think I really enjoyed the practice. We were sharing laughs and keeping us relaxed,” said Indian tennis star. "Everyone has huge respect for him.He was definitely favourite to win the Australian Open.He is someone to get very easy to get along with and winning the 20th grand slam is truly special, it shows the amount of hard work he puts in the game. It makes him really exceptional,” he added. Bopanna posted a footage of the session with the legend himself on his Twitter account. Just a relaxed Saturday afternoon hit ????????. @rogerfederer @theljubicic @thedavidoff @AustralianOpen #tennis #melbourne #tennislife pic.twitter.com/QDk3Sbutsu — Rohan Bopanna (@rohanbopanna) January 27, 2018 × Rohan Bopanna-Timea Babos lost the Australian Open mixed doubles final 6-2, 4-6, 9-11 to Mate Pavic-Gabriela Dabrowski on Sunday.

Watch: Had a good session, shared some laughs, says Bopanna on practice session with Federer

India&rsquo;s Leander Paes, Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna won their respective opening round matches kickstarting their US Open campaign at Flushing Meadows in New York on Wednesday. 
 
Bopanna and Frederik Nielsen took on 16th seeds Radek Stepanek and Nenad Zimonjic, winning the first round of men&rsquo;s doubles with 6-3, 6-7 (3), 6-3.&nbsp; 
 
Leander Paes and his Swiss mixed doubles partner Martina Hingis secured a 6-3, 6-2 win against Americans Sachia Vickery and Frances Tiafoe. 
 
World No 1 women&#39;s doubles player &nbsp;Sania Mirza and her Czech partner Barbora Strycova defeated unseeded American duo Jada Myii Hart and Ena Shibahara 6-2, 6-3 in women&rsquo;s doubles. 
 
The unseeded pair of Bopanna and Nielsen fought an hour and 53 minutes to seal the win at Court 6. 
 
Bopanna-Nielsen who were playing a more experienced Czech-Serbian combination won the &nbsp;first set 6-3. &nbsp;They are now pitted against the US-New Zealand combination of Brian Baker and Marcus Daniell for a place in the pre-quarterfinals. 
 
Sania and Barbora had five break points throughout the match,&nbsp;three of them securing their win. They won 65 out of the total 116 points played. 
 
Paes-Hingis weren&#39;t even stretched that far, wrapping &nbsp;up the match in 51 minutes. 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies)

Unseeded Bopanna-Nielsen were pitted against a more experienced Czech-Serbian combination but won 6-3, 6-7 (3), 6-3 in men's doubles

India’s Leander Paes, Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna won their respective opening round matches kickstarting their US Open campaign at Flushing Meadows in New York on Wednesday. Bopanna and Frederik Nielsen took on 16th seeds Radek Stepanek and Nenad Zimonjic, winning the first round of men’s doubles with 6-3, 6-7 (3), 6-3. Leander Paes and his Swiss mixed doubles partner Martina Hingis secured a 6-3, 6-2 win against Americans Sachia Vickery and Frances Tiafoe. World No 1 women's doubles player Sania Mirza and her Czech partner Barbora Strycova defeated unseeded American duo Jada Myii Hart and Ena Shibahara 6-2, 6-3 in women’s doubles. The unseeded pair of Bopanna and Nielsen fought an hour and 53 minutes to seal the win at Court 6. Bopanna-Nielsen who were playing a more experienced Czech-Serbian combination won the first set 6-3. They are now pitted against the US-New Zealand combination of Brian Baker and Marcus Daniell for a place in the pre-quarterfinals. Sania and Barbora had five break points throughout the match, three of them securing their win. They won 65 out of the total 116 points played. Paes-Hingis weren't even stretched that far, wrapping up the match in 51 minutes. (WION with inputs from agencies)

US Open 2016: Leander Paes, Sania Mirza, Rohan Bopanna ace opening rounds

Rohan Bopanna today steered India to an emphatic 4-1 victory over South Korea in the Asia/Oceania Davis Cup Group I tie after winning his reverse singles match in Chandigarh city, in northern state of Punjab. 
 
India, which had secured a world play-off berth on Saturday by taking a 3-0 lead, led 4-0 after Bopanna&#39;s triumph but South Korea managed a consolation win in the final match. 
 
Bopanna, who took court in place of Saketh Myneni, was given a hard time by Hong Chung but prevailed 3-6 6-4 6-4 on the grass court of the Chandigarh Club. 
 
South Korea&#39;s Yong-Kyu Lim then spoilt India&#39;s hopes of a clean sweep after serving past Ramkumar Ramanathan 6-3 5-7 7-6 in the fifth and final rubber. 
 
Earlier the doubles pair of Bopanna and Leander Paes had already sealed the tie on Saturday after the singles players had given India a 2-0 cushion on the opening day. 
 
It was a great tune-up for Bopanna and Paes who have been made to team up for the men&#39;s doubles draw in the upcoming Rio Olympics by the Indian tennis association. 
 
(AFP)

Rohan Bopanna who took court in place of Saketh Myneni was given a hard time by Hong Chung but prevailed 3-6, 6-4, 6-4

Rohan Bopanna today steered India to an emphatic 4-1 victory over South Korea in the Asia/Oceania Davis Cup Group I tie after winning his reverse singles match in Chandigarh city, in northern state of Punjab. India, which had secured a world play-off berth on Saturday by taking a 3-0 lead, led 4-0 after Bopanna's triumph but South Korea managed a consolation win in the final match. Bopanna, who took court in place of Saketh Myneni, was given a hard time by Hong Chung but prevailed 3-6 6-4 6-4 on the grass court of the Chandigarh Club. South Korea's Yong-Kyu Lim then spoilt India's hopes of a clean sweep after serving past Ramkumar Ramanathan 6-3 5-7 7-6 in the fifth and final rubber. Earlier the doubles pair of Bopanna and Leander Paes had already sealed the tie on Saturday after the singles players had given India a 2-0 cushion on the opening day. It was a great tune-up for Bopanna and Paes who have been made to team up for the men's doubles draw in the upcoming Rio Olympics by the Indian tennis association. (AFP)

Bopanna steers India to 4-1 win over South Korea

Leander Paes and Rohan Bopanna made an ideal start to their Olympic preparations as they sealed a Davis Cup world play-off berth for India, winning the doubles rubber against South Korea in Chandigarh today. 
 
The duo&#39;s win gave India an unassailable 3-0 lead on the grass courts of the Chandigarh Club after the team won both the singles matches of the Asia/Oceania Group I tie. 
 
Paes and Bopanna, who were chosen as a doubles pair by India&#39;s tennis association for the Rio Games, outplayed the Korean pair of Seong Chan Hong and Hong Chung 6-3 6-4 6-4. 
 
Bopanna, who had voiced his displeasure of &quot;not being given a say&quot; in choosing his Olympic partner, insisted he shared a good &quot;on-court chemistry&quot; with Paes. 
 
&quot;Chemistry was great. If it wasn&#39;t good, we could not have got such convincing win. We did not push much and just made sure that we come out strong,&quot; said Bopanna. 
 
The 43-year-old Paes, who is set for his seventh Olympic participation, also enjoyed the doubles win. 
 
&quot;We have won in three sets. We are playing well. It has been a great season for us. We are sharp. 
 
&quot;Even if the competition was tough, we could have raised the level of our game,&quot; Paes, a winner of 18 Grand Slam titles, said. 
 
Earlier India&#39;s Saketh Myneni and Ramkumar Ramanathan had won their respective singles on Friday to hand India a 2-0 cushion. 
 
The reverse singles matches slated for Sunday now remain a mere formality as the Koreans will be playing for pride against an upbeat India. 
 
(AFP)

They gave India a 3-0 lead after the team won both the singles matches of the Asia/Oceania Group I tie

Leander Paes and Rohan Bopanna made an ideal start to their Olympic preparations as they sealed a Davis Cup world play-off berth for India, winning the doubles rubber against South Korea in Chandigarh today. The duo's win gave India an unassailable 3-0 lead on the grass courts of the Chandigarh Club after the team won both the singles matches of the Asia/Oceania Group I tie. Paes and Bopanna, who were chosen as a doubles pair by India's tennis association for the Rio Games, outplayed the Korean pair of Seong Chan Hong and Hong Chung 6-3 6-4 6-4. Bopanna, who had voiced his displeasure of "not being given a say" in choosing his Olympic partner, insisted he shared a good "on-court chemistry" with Paes. "Chemistry was great. If it wasn't good, we could not have got such convincing win. We did not push much and just made sure that we come out strong," said Bopanna. The 43-year-old Paes, who is set for his seventh Olympic participation, also enjoyed the doubles win. "We have won in three sets. We are playing well. It has been a great season for us. We are sharp. "Even if the competition was tough, we could have raised the level of our game," Paes, a winner of 18 Grand Slam titles, said. Earlier India's Saketh Myneni and Ramkumar Ramanathan had won their respective singles on Friday to hand India a 2-0 cushion. The reverse singles matches slated for Sunday now remain a mere formality as the Koreans will be playing for pride against an upbeat India. (AFP)

Tennis: Paes, Bopanna seal India's Davis Cup play-off berth

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