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Rio 2016: Sania Mirza-Rohan Bopanna enter mixed doubles semifinals; one win away from medal

Speed News Desk | Updated on: 10 February 2017, 1:47 IST

India's Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna overcame a stiff challenge from Great Britain's Heather Watson and Andy Murray in the mixed doubles quarterfinals matchup. Murray may be the second ranked player in the world in singles but alongside partner Watson, he looked ordinary. The fourth-seeded Indian duo registered a 6-4, 6-4 win in an hour and eight minutes. They've now entered the semifinals and are one win away from a guaranteed medal.

It was the British pair, not the Indians who started the match on a higher note. Murray and Watson got the first break of serve in the first set and went up 2-0. Immediately, Mirza and Bopanna broke back to level things at 2-2. The 29-year-old world no. 1 doubles player Mirza's forehand was on show for the crowd present. Mirza's partner Bopanna may have been erratic in his shots but he managed to put in some strong serves today.

Murray had earlier spent more than two hours on court in his singles match. He looked more than a tad bit exhausted during the mixed doubles match and largely struggled to dominate the match. The Indian pair won three out of four break point opportunities that came their way and never looked in danger of falling behind. Mirza and Bopana will await the winner of the other mixed doubles quarterfinal in their half. That match see Venus Williams and Rajeev Ram of the United States of America take on Fabio Fognini and Roberta Vinci of Italy.

This is India's last hope for an Olympic tennis medal at the Rio Olympics. The semi-final will take place on Saturday, 13 August.

First published: 13 August 2016, 4:18 IST