Indians win in doubles

The all-Indian pair of Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna had to toil hard for a win but Leander Paes and his Czech partner Radek Stepanek sailed past their opponents to enter the second round of the Australian Open men’s doubles event.

The new ‘Indian Express’ fought back from a set down to win 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 against the Australian pair of Matthew Ebden and Chris Guccione in a battle that lasted an hour and 43 minutes.  

The Indo-Czech pair, in contrast, completely outplayed the Aussie combo of Greg Jones and John-Patrick Smith 6-2, 6-2 in an hour and 13 minutes.

Bopanna said he was pleased with the tough workout in the opener. “Right now, we’re here in Australia and our focus is to do well at this Slam,” he said.