Bhupathi-Mirnyi qualify for Tour Finals, Bopanna-Qureshi fail

Paris :

India's Mahesh Bhupathi and Max Mirnyi qualified for the season-ending World Tour Finals after advancing to the Paris Masters quarter-finals but Rohan Bopanna and Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi's bid failed following a second round defeat here.

Sixth seed Bhupathi and Mirnyi beat Jonathan Erlich and Michael Kohlmann 3-6, 6-1, 10-5 but their progress to London Finals depended on Mike and Bob Bryan's victory.

And the American twins helped Bhupathi and Mirnyi's cause by beating Wesley Moodie and Dick Norman 7-6(2), 7-6(5) in their quarter-finals.

However, it was a heart-break for the seventh seed Indo-Pak Express, as the duo lost 3-6, 2-6 to Mark Knowles and Andy Ram.

The defeat means Bopanna is now available for Asian Games, beginning tomorrow in Guangzhou, China.

Leander Paes and Lukas Dlouhy, who have reached the quarter-finals here, had already clinched their place in the prestigious World Tour Finals, starting on Sunday.