IMAGE: Rohan Bopanna and Aldila Sutjiad had to go into their reserves to bring out their best to down Australia’s John Pears and Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic in their second round match on Saturday. Photograph: Kind courtesy USTA/X
India’s Rohan Bopanna and his Indonesian partner Aldila Sutjiad battled back from a set down to progress to the mixed doubles quarter-finals, turning it around remarkably at the US Open in New York, on Saturday.
Seeded eighth, Bopanna and Sutjiadi were pushed to the brink by Australia’s John Pears and Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic, but eventually, walked out 0-6, 7-6(5), 10-7 winners in the second-round match that lasted an hour and 13 minutes.
“Well, sometimes it’s not about how you start, it’s about how you finish. They started also lights out and we changed a little strategy with varying the pace so that also helped,” Bopanna told PTI.
Bopanna and Sutjiadi will next play fourth seeds Matthew Ebden and Barbora Krejcikova.
Bopanna and his partner had won 7-6(7), 7-6(5) against Germany’s Tim Puetz and Dutch player Demi Schuurs in the opening round.
The 44-year-old Indian had also moved to the third round of men’s doubles along with Ebden following a 6-2, 6-4 win over Spain’s Roberto Carballes Baena and Federico Coria from Argentina.
