Mixed luck for Indian contingent

Veterans Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi, along with their respective partners, advanced to the second round of the French Open mixed doubles after notching up straight-set victories in the first round matches.

The fifth-seeded Indo-Russian pair of Paes and Elena Vesnina thrashed Czech pair Lucie Hradecka and Frantisek Cermak 6-1, 6-1 in the first-round match that lasted for 49 minutes. Bhupathi and Sania Mirza crossed the opening round hurdle with a 6-2, 6-4 win over American combo of Raquel Kops-Jones and Eric Butorac.

India’s Rohan Bopanna, however, tasted defeat in mixed doubles category as he and his partner Lisa Raymond of USA lost 7-6 (8-6), 6-4, 10-6 to unseeded duo of South Africa’s Natalie Grandin and Paul Hanley of Australia.