INDIANS HAD a mixed day at Wimbledon on Friday (June 27). Though the Indian challenge in the singles came to an end after Sania Mirza’s exit, the doubles still inspire hope.

In women’s doubles encounter Sania and her American partner, Bethanie Mattek started their campaign with a bang and defeated Elena Baltacha and Naomi Cavady of England in straight sets, 6-4, 6-2.

In a men’s second round match on Saturday, the Indo-Czech pair of Leander Paes and Lukas Dlouhy overcame the challenge of American-Australian duo of Eric Butorac and Ashley Fisher. Paes and Dlouhy won 6-3, 7-6.

However, the fourth seeded combine of India’s Mahesh Bhupathi and Bahamas’ Mark Knowles bowed out in the first round itself. In a gruelling three-setter the duo lost
to German-Austrian pair of Philipp Petzschner and Alexander Peya 5-7, 2-6, 6-7.

There was some more heartbreak for India as the Indo-Pak Express, Rohan Bopanna and Pakistani Aisam-ul-haq Qureshi, was defeated 2-6, 4-6, 2-6 to Spain’s Marcel Granollers-Pujol and Santiago Ventura.

In the mixed doubles all the Indians have moved into the second round after receiving a bye in the first round.

The Indo-Australian duo of Paes and Rennae Stubbs has been seeded tenth. Bhupathi has teamed up with Sania and the combine is seeded eleventh.

Bopanna is partnering Tatiana Poutchek of Belarus.