Live Chat
online
Create
_1470491424.jpg?w=1300)
7-6 to the Polish pair in the second set tiebreak. And we're done here as Paes and Bopanna crash out of the Olympic Games.
Not yet...Poland level up to 6-6!
6-5 to INDIA in the second set tiebreak. Set point India?
5-4 Poland. We're inching closer and closer to that moment now. The moment of truth. Who stays, and who goes?
But wait, there's more! 4-3 now to Poland.
There was a tenacious fight back from India in the second after Poland looked quite set to wrap things up. Right now though, they're back there.
3-1 to Poland now in the tiebreak. They're taking this quite quickly.
POL 2-1 IND in the second set tiebreak.
India aren't able to consolidate on that break, sadly, which takes us to 6-6 in the second set. We'll now see the players fight it out in a second set tiebreak to see if this match ends here, or we go to a decider.
It's 6-6 now. Second set tiebreak!
This is a golden chance for India to get right back into this match! This could go to a deciding set if they play their cards right. Can they bring back the strong attack from set 1?
And Leander Paes isn't done fighting. At 6-5 now, India will serve for the second set. Is there more in this match than we thought?
Good news for India - they BREAK!
BREAK POINT! Can Bopanna and Paes take back some control?
And he does it! Temporary respite for India as they level the second set at 5-5. They're not done just yet...
Can Leander Paes, with India serving to stay in the match, pull this one off? It seems like an unlikely task but if anyone could do it, it would be Paes.
It's grim scenes for India at their doubles match. Hopefully the mixed and women's doubles can see more success for the team.
Poland are now up 5-4! It's up to Leander Paes to help keep India in this.
Lukasz Kubot has played some outstanding tennis today. He's been instrumental in helping secure the first set for Poland!
So the advantage - and not in the tennis sense, currently lies with Matkowski and Kubot.
Holding serves strong now. 4-4 to Kubot and Matkowski as each team holds their service games... but given that the Polish pair started the second set on serve, the ball is still in their court. (Excuse the pun!)
We did see a lot more attacking tennis in the first set, though, and the energy seems to have dropped somewhat.
Paes and Bopanna consolidate to avoid giving Poland a 4-2 lead and it's going evenly in the second, as it was in the first.
It's 3-3 as the Indians hold serve!
Woah, lucky! Paes and Bopanna save break point right there!
Paes will want to bow out on a strong note - and a tame loss to Poland in the first round would be disappointing for the 17-time Grand Slam winner.
3-2 to Poland in the second. They're already up a set and it's the Indian side in dire straits tonight. It's likely the last Olympic games for the 43-year-old Leander Paes.
There were five breaks of service in the first set. None so far here!
All games have been won on serve in the second. Is this going to be a tame exit for the exalted Indian pair?
And it's 3-2 now. Unlike the first set, which saw repeated breaks of serve, this set is moving quite sedately...
India has had four breaks in a row. Not promising at the moment but both Paes and Bopanna have made some strong comebacks in their respective careers. Indian fans will be hoping for one now!
And it's downhill for India now! Poland lead 2-1 in the second.
It's now do or die for Paes and Bopanna. Their attack has been strong but their defense is simply not good enough today. Can they pull something out of the bag or will they see a first round exit?
Although they broke their rivals today, the Indian pair were broken back too - three times, the third and final to end the set in favour of the Poles.
And that's the end of the first set. Marcin Matkowski and Lukasz Kubot win the first set 6-4 as they take a 1-0 lead in their doubles tie against India.
And it's all gone a bit upside down for the Indians after they started off well. It's now 5-4 to Matkowski and Kubot who held serve, and Bopanna will now serve for India to stay in the set.
What a game going on! Polish pair Kubot-Matkowski fighting back in style against Paes-Bopanna. 1st set all level at 4-4. #Rio2016 #IND
— Sahil Bhalla (@IMSahilBhalla) August 6, 2016
No dice, unfortunately! Paes and Bopanna don't manage to hold serve, broken back yet again by Matkowski and Kubot. They're now level at 4-4 in the first. Is it going to go down to the wire?
And yet another break for the two! They now lead 4-3 - and will need to hold their serve to go up against their rivals in the first set!
The Indians saved two break points as they took a 3-2 lead.
Surprisingly, it is still the Polish pair who are favourites to win tonight. Can the experienced Indians pull off a stunner?
Good news for Indians! Paes and Bopanna are currently leading 3-2 in the first set against Matkowski and Kubot, up a break of serve!
On serve right now - poles lead 2-1. Key bit coming up, how does Leander serve hold up #Rio2016 pic.twitter.com/WQ0Zd2CqJQ
— Gaurav Kalra (@gauravkalra75) August 6, 2016
His top 10 ranking saw Bopanna gain Olympic entry - originally choosing Saketh Myneni as a partner, but this decision was overruled by AITA, who sent Leander Paes instead.
Bopanna has had a fairly successful year on the ATP circuit with partner Florin Mergea of Romania, with whom he made the top 10 ATP rankings. He entered the top 10 with Mergea earlier this year.
Proud to be an Indian today 🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳 @Rio2016_en pic.twitter.com/XsglXQz8eO
— Leander Paes (@Leander) August 6, 2016
The tall Bopanna has a big serve, much like Paes' longtime former partner Mahesh Bhupathi. Could that work to their advantage?
There's been a lot of friction between Paes and Bopanna according to media reports, but their game could work well today.
Live Chat
online
Poland beats India 6-4, 7-6 with Marcin Matkowski and Lukasz Kubot victorious over Leander Paes and Rohan Bopanna.