Pakistan Sports Journal

Qureshi had hoped to win both the men’s and mixed doubles titles but the 30-yr-old 6-feet tall from Lahore was thwarted in his first attempt to win a US Open doubles title when he and partner Kveta Peschke of the Czech Republic lost to US top seeds Liezel Huber and Bob Bryan in Thursday’s mixed doubles final.

The US top seeds defeated Qureshi and Peschke 6-4, 6-4 at Arthur Ashe Stadium for the crown. It was Bryan’s fourth US Open mixed doubles title in eight years, each of them coming with a different partner.“Too good. They were the better team,” Qureshi said.

google_protectAndRun("ads_core.google_render_ad", google_handleError, google_render_ad);
Qureshi and men’s doubles partner Rohan Bopanna (nicknamed Bofors) of India will face top seeds Bryan and his brother Mike in Friday’sUS Open final.

Qureshi teamed up with Bopanna first in 2003. Before that he had teamed up with Amir Hadad of Israel, at Wimbledon in 2002. He was banned from Davis Cup play in 2002 after the Pakistani Tennis Federation shunned his doubles partnership with the Jewish player.

The Indo-Pak doubles team is expected to play to the Indo-Pak gallery again on Friday – just as it happened last Tuesday when the duo gained victory over Brian Battistone and Ryler DeHeart at the U.S. Open.

“Pakistanis and Indians, blurred along the bleachers, one just like the other. They were clapping for the same thing. Cheering in unison,” commented one sports writer in his article titled, “Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi, Rohan Bopanna bringing cultures together in U.S. Open doubles play”