Rio Olympics 2016 Tennis Highlights: Sania Mirza-Rohan Bopanna Lose Mixed Doubles Semis, To Play For Bronze Next
Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna lost 6-2, 2-6, 3-10 to US' Venus Williams and Rajeev Ram in the Rio Olympics 2016 mixed doubles tennis event. Catch tennis highlights of their semifinal match here.
India's Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna failed to qualify for the gold medal match in tennis mixed doubles at Rio Olympics, as they lost 6-2, 2-6, 3-10 to US pair Venus Williams and Rajeev Ram. The Indian pair will play for bronze medal on Sunday. Catch tennis highlights here. (SCHEDULE | MEDAL TALLY)
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02:30 hrs IST: And the American pair takes the tiebreak 10-3 to win the match and enter the final.
02:27 hrs IST: The American pair has extended their lead to 6-3
02:24 hrs IST: But Venus/Ram show their class to take 4-3 lead
02:23 hrs IST: The tie-break and India lead 2-0
02:16 hrs IST: Breakpoint for American pair and they clinch the set in style. One-set all now
02:13 hrs IST: Venus Williams is showing glimpses of why she is a multiple-time Grand Slam winner. Her returns are making the Indian pair baffled. US pair leads 5-2 ÂÂ
02:09 hrs IST: Sania mirza and Rohan Bopanna will have to up their game now. They hold serve to make 4-2. Still trailing
02:07 hrs IST: Venus/Ram, now hold serve to be 4-1 up in second set
02:05 hrs IST: And the American pair has broken Sania/Bopanna. 1-3 down now
02:03 hrs IST: Rajeev Ram and Venus Williams get break point again. They are not going to go down without a fight
01:59 hrs IST: Rajeev/Venus get a break point in the fourth game but Sania/Bopanna save it.
01:56 hrs IST: Venus and Rajeev are looking a lot more composed in the second set as they hold serve to be 2-1 up.
01:53 hrs IST: Both pairs hold their serves to be 1-1 in the second set.
01:45 hrs IST: The second set begins!!
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1:39 hrs IST: Sania/Bopanna power to the first set 6-2 with ease. India a set away from assured medal!!
1:37 hrs IST: And the Indian pair breaks the US combine again after a brilliant return from Bopanna. 5-2 up now
1:35 hrs IST: Rohan Bopanna's serves are making it easy for the Indian pair. They hold serve to be 4-2 up
1:34 hrs IST: Bopanna's return is a little stretched. Venus/Ram hold serve. Still the Indian pair lead 3-2
1:33 hrs IST: Sania and Bopanna look a determined pair as they don't let Venus/Ram take the advantage despite being 30-0 up hold serve and take 3-1 lead.
1:30 hrs IST: And Sania and Bopanna are 2-1 ahead after breaking Venus/Ram
1:28 hrs IST: Rohan Bopanna is serving brilliantly. He and Sania hold serve to be 1-1 level
1:23 hrs IST: Venus/Ram comfortably hold serve to go 1-0 up against Sania Mirza/Rohan Bopanna
1:22 hrs IST: The action starts!!
01:13 hrs IST: The players are here on court.
00:59 hrs IST: The women's doubles bronze medal has ended. Sania-Bopanna's match will start shortly
00:30 hrs IST: The start of the mixed doubles semifinal has been delayed because of the ongoing women's doubles bronze medal match on Court 1.
00:20 hrs IST: Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna are on cusp of a medal. Before them only Leander Paes is the lone Indian to win an Olympics medal in tennis.
00:15 hrs IST: Welcome all!!
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After Leander Paes won India's first tennis medal at the centennial Games in Atlanta in 1996, Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna are a win away from guaranteeing themselves an Olympic medal.
A victory against Williams and Ram will take them to the gold-medal round. A defeat will still keep them in contention for a bronze medal.
Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna are doubles specialists in the international circuit.
Sania, No. 1 in the world in women's doubles, has three mixed doubles career titles - Australian Open, French Open and US Open -- and made the quarterfinals of the London Games four ago with Leander Paes.
Bopanna may not have won an international mixed doubles career title, but he has made the quarterfinals of all four Grand Slams, including thrice in the Australian Open.
Sania and Bopanna brought some cheer to Indian fans on Friday when they defeated Britain's Heather Watson and Andy Murray 6-4, 6-4 to storm into the semi-finals.
Murray came into the contest after winning his singles quarterfinal that lasted more than two hours and was a pale shadow of himself.
The Williams-Ram duo will be quite formidable. They defeated the Italian team of Roberta Vinci and Fabio Fognini 6-3, 7-5 en route to the semis.
The other semifinal will see American pair of Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Jack Sock compete with the Czech team of Lucie Hradecka and Radek Stepanek.
The tennis mixed doubles gold and bronze matches will be played on Sunday.