The Hindu : Sport : Bhupathi and Sania storm into final

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Bhupathi and Sania storm into final

— Photo: AFP

MERRY RUN: Sania Mirza and Mahesh Bhupathi after their semifinal win.

MELBOURNE: Mahesh Bhupathi and Sania Mirza stood just one win away from their maiden mixed doubles Grand Slam title together after beating Czechs Lukas Dlouhy and Iveta Benesova 6-4, 6-1 in the Australian Open semifinals here on Friday.

In the junior section, top seed Yuki Bhambri continued his spectacular run to reach the boys’ singles final with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over French seventh seed Adrien Puget.

However, Yuki’s doubles campaign ended after he and his Taipei partner Liang Chi-Huang, seeded No. 1, lost 3-6, 1-6 to Mikhal Biryukov (Russia) and Yasutaka Uchiyama (Japan) in the semifinals.

Bhupathi and Sania, who were runner-up at the Melbourne Park last year, trailed 1-3 in the opening set before storming back to seal the issue in 54 minutes.

In the summit clash, they will take on the unseeded French-Israeli combination of Andy Ram and Nathalie Dechy who stunned seventh-seeded Spaniards Anabel Medina Garrigues and Tommy Robredo 7-6(7), 6-4.

It was hardly the kind of start Bhupathi and Sania, who had dropped just one set en route to the semifinals, would have wanted as Dlouhy and Benesova broke them in the opening game to race to a 3-1 lead.

However, the Indians got their act together soon and broke back twice to take the first set in 32 minutes.

Bhupathi and Sania continued their dominance in the second set and broke their rivals thrice.

Such was their hold over the proceedings that the Indians did not face a single break point in the second set which they wrapped up in a mere 22 minutes.

The win makes it a double delight for Bhupathi, who along with Bahamas’ Mark Knowles, has also made the men’s doubles final.

Yuki-Georgoudas final

Yuki, who endured an exhausting day amid searing temperatures, will be up against German Alexandros-Ferdinandos Georgoudas in the final. Georgoudas stunned second-seeded Julen Uriguen of Guatemala 6-4, 6-4. — PTI

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