Montreal Masters 2017: Rohan Bopanna and Ivan Dodig reach semi-finals

Indian tennis ace Rohan Bopanna and his Croatian partner Ivan Dodig kept their title hopes alive by reaching the semi-finals of the Coupe Rogers at Montreal on Friday. The seventh seeds needed 1 hour 14 minutes to get the better of the unseeded French pair of Gael Monfils and Benoit Paire, 6-2, 7-5.

In the last-four stage, they will meet the sixth seeded South African-American combine of Raven Klaasen and Rajeev Ram for a place in Sunday’s summit clash.

Bopanna and Dodig have been in good form and are yet to drop a set so far in this tournament. They started their challenge with a 7-6(3), 6-4 win over Karen Khachanov and Dominic Thiem to advance to the quarter-finals.

In the quarters, they were able to convert four out of their 11 break point opportunities and conceded just one break of serve.

The Indian, who won the French Open mixed doubles title, is trying to get some much-needed confidence ahead of the US Open which begins on August 28. Bopanna started the US Open Series this year with a quarter-final defeat alongside Donald Young at the Citi Open last week.

Ankita Raina triumphant in Belgium

India’s No. 1 women’s singles player, Ankita Raina finished her campaign at the $25,000 Koksijde ITF Women’s Circuit tournament with the doubles title in partnership with Bibiane Schoofs of the Netherlands.

The Indo-Dutch combine, who was seeded second, made a grand comeback after losing the first set, for a 3-6, 6-3, [11-9] victory over the Belgian pair of Marie Benoit and Magali Kempen.

Raina was seeded third in the singles category where she went down fighting 4-6, 7-5, 2-6 to the eighth seeded Ganna Poznikhirenko of Ukraine.

Saina Mirza’s woes continue

Mirza and Peng had to withdraw after the latter hurt her knee

Meanwhile, Indian tennis superstar Sania Mirza’s woes have continued this year with yet another of her partners suffering an injury. The World No. 7 had teamed up with the former World No. 1 Shuai Peng during the ongoing North American swing.

The Rogers Cup in Toronto this week was their first event together. Unfortunately, the Chinese hurt her knee and the duo had to pull out of the event after reaching the quarter-finals.

Peng is expected to be back next week at Cincinnati where the Indian is the defending champion.

This follows Sania’s earlier misfortunes with Yaroslava Shvedova and Kirsten Flipkens, both of whom had to opt out because of injuries. Right before Wimbledon, the Kazakh player had to take time off the court to have an ankle surgery.

Mirza, who scrambled for a new partner at the last minute, got Flipkens, who too had a bad shoulder at that time. After the pair bowed out of the Wimbledon in the third round, Mirza decided to join forces with Peng.