JOIN USIndians Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna advanced to their fifth ATP World Tour Masters 1000 semifinals of the season here Friday at the Shanghai Masters.
The seventh seeds saved all five break points they faced to defeat second seeds Max Mirnyi and Daniel Nestor 7-6(7), 6-4 in one hour and 24 minutes.
Bhupathi and Bopanna are yet to qualify for the ATP World Tour Finals in London from Nov 5 to 12.
They are currently No.8 in the ATP Doubles Team Rankings Race To London and will next play No.11-ranked Britons Colin Fleming and Ross Hutchins in the semis, who also remain in the hunt for a berth as the season-ending championship.
Bopanna and Bhupathi are 11-7 at ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments which includes one final appearance Cincinnati where they lost to Lindstedt-Tecau.
Fleming and Hutchins saved two match points at 8-9 and 9-10 in the match tie-break to beat sixth seeds Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi and Jean-Julien Rojer 7-6(2), 4-6, 12-10 in two hours and 14 minutes.
Qureshi double-faulted at 9-8 in the tie-break and Fleming saved the second match point on serve.