Paris: The pair of Rohan Bopanna and Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi proved too strong for French wildcards Julien Benneteau and Nicolas Mahut and defeated their rivals 6-2, 6-4 to clinch the BNP Paribas Masters title here on Sunday.
‘The Indo-Pak Express’ had overcome the challenge from No. 2 seeds Michael Llodra and Nenad Zimonjic and No. 3 seeds Max Mirnyi and Daniel Nestor to reach their first Masters 1000 final together. As champions, they earned 1000 ATP Doubles Team Ranking points, taking them to fifth in the year-to-date standings.
Seeded seventh in the tournament, Bopanna-Quereshi made a strong start to the final, racing to a 5-2 double break advantage before closing out the first set in 29 minutes. In a closer second set, they broke down their French opponents in the ninth game before serving out victory in 64 minutes. They won 92 per cent of points behind their first serve and did not face a single break point.
"This win gives us a lot of confidence, it is our biggest title by far," said Bopanna. "All the hard work over the years has paid off."
The 2010 US Open runners-up were contesting their 11th tour-level final together and improved to a 4-7 mark. It was their third trophy of the season, following victories in June at the Gerry Weber Open in Halle and at last month’s Stockholm Open.
"We are ecstatic to win our first Masters 1000 title," said Qureshi. "Last year we didn't play well in finals and this year we have won three out of three."
Courtesy: http://www.atpworldtour.com