Rohan Bopanna Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi out of the Legg Mason Classic

Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi and Rohan Bopanna crashed out of the Legg Mason Classic ATP Tournament in Washington DC semi finals on Saturday.Less than a week after winning a record 62nd ATP double title, the famed Bryan Brothers were comprehensively beaten by India's Rohan Bopanna and Pakistan's Aisam Qureshi.

Rohan and Aisam, unseeded at the Legg Mason Tennis Classic in Washington D.C., defeated the second seeded Americans 7-6 (6), 7-5, in a reverse of last week's result in Los Angeles where the Bryans defeated the Indo-Pak duo.

Indian partner Rohan Bopanna Pakistan’s leading tennis star Aisamul Haq advanced to the doubles semi -finals of the Legg Mason Tennis Classic in Washington. Bopanna and Aisamul Haq Qureshi lost to Mardy Fish (US) and Mark Knowles (Bahamas) 7-5, 7-5 in a closely-contested semifinal.

Bopanna and Qureshi have enjoyed a highly successful run in recent times, with their partnership reaping rich dividends in the international circuit. The duo reached the quarter-finals at Wimbledon, their best ever result yet in a Grand Slam, having won their first ATP World Tour title together earlier in the year in South Africa. The pair will compete in the US Open at the end of August, where they hope to better their Grand Slam record, given their improving form.

Bopanna was also named a 'Champion for Peace' by the neutral international organization 'Peace and Sport' - joining a group of 47 elite international athletes who spread the message of peace through their sport.

Not only did Bopanna and Qureshi not face a single break point in their straight-sets win over their much vaunted opponents, but the duo also handed the Bryans their first defeat in the American capital city since 2003.

Bopanna and Qureshi will next play Mardy Fish and Mark Knowles in the semi-finals of the $1,165,500 ATP 500 tournament. An elated Rohan commented, "This victory is really satisfying on many levels. After the Bryan brothers beat us last week, this win shows that we were able to analyze what went wrong with our game and correct those faults to come back and win convincingly against these very tough players. Both Aisam and I know that our game has been improving steadily and we have the confidence and ability to be amongst the best. Our plan was to play aggressively from the start, and that's what we successfully did".

Samyukta Ranganathan