LONDON: Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna won their grudge match with India’s Leander Paes and his Czech partner Radek Stepanek as the Indian pair reached the final of the ATP Tour Finals with a 4-6, 6-1, 12/10 victory at London’s O2 Arena yesterday.
The semi-final showdown always promised to be a bitter battle after Bhupathi refused to be partnered with Paes at the London Olympics earlier this year, causing an ugly rift that caused several months of chaos in Indian tennis.
Bhupathi and Paes had a successful doubles partnership for several years, but split up when their relationship deteriorated.
Paes and Stepanek defeated Bhupathi and Bopanna in the final of the Shanghai Masters earlier this year in the rivals’ first meeting since the Olympics, so this was an especially sweet moment of revenge for the Indian pair.
AFP
