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Paes and Bhupathi crash out

Kamesh Srinivasan

Federer and Wawrinka upset Bryan siblings to enter the final

PHOTO: AFP

STILL STANDING: Roger Federer showed how badly he needs an Olympic medal by coming out fired up for his doubles match against Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi, almost immediately after his tough loss to James Blake in the singles. —

BEIJING: Switzerland’s Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka stunned top seeds Bob and Mike Bryan of the United States 7-6 (6), 6-4 on Friday to reach the men’s doubles final. The win assured Federer, the world’s top-ranked player, a first Olympic medal.

Earlier, Federer and Wawrinka scotched Indian hopes for a medal by beating Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi 6-2, 6-4 in the quarterfinals at the Olympic Green Tennis Center. The Indian pair failed for the fourth successive Olympics as a team.

By coming out firing past midnight on Thursday — and that too after his disappointing loss in the singles — before rain forced the players off court, the World No. 1 showed his resolve to go for an Olympic medal at all cost.

The world No.1 played with such precision and imagination that he ripped through the Indian pair, even as an inspired Wawrinka, a top-ten singles player, rose to the occasion.

“It was sweet revenge because I lost to them with Yves Allegro four years ago in Athens,” said Federer.

Proving a point

The sixth-seeded Indian pair and many doubles specialists may have wondered at the top singles players getting seeded in the event, but Federer and Wawrinka, seeded fourth, showed that, when they put their mind on the job, they could torment the doubles specialists and beat them without too much fuss.

“We played our hearts out. It is heartbreak. But we got stuck with Roger Federer playing unbelievable tennis,” said Paes. “We came in as prepared as we could possibly be. We have always delivered, playing for the country. We haven’t delivered an Olympic medal yet,” said Bhupathi, attempting to digest the defeat.

The 1-4 deficit overnight, when Bhupathi’s serve had been broken after the Indian duo had missed three game points, proved costly eventually.

The gloom and rain gave way to brilliant weather, but there was no change of fortunes for the Indian camp.

With Bhupathi mis-hitting an overhead, which he top-edged while going for a jump smash, the Indian duo faced two set points on Paes’s serve in the eighth game.

Paes saved one with a service winner, but Federer unleashed a superb forehand crosscourt winner, to clinch the second break and the first set.

“I think the lead was important. It was good to sleep well and start off on a positive mindset and continue what we have been doing,” Federer said.

Into the second set, the fight was on for sometime, and Bhupathi did well to save a breakpoint in the sixth game.

The Swiss were serving at their best, getting 85 per cent of their first serves in and conceding a mere 12 points on their serve in the whole match.

The end was quite abrupt. Paes stabbed at a flying return that flew off his racquet to give Federer and Wawrinka two match-points.

Paes saved one with a volley, but Bhupathi volleyed out on the next.

“We expected it to be much tougher, but in a best-of-three-set doubles match, anything can happen,” said Federer, who went halfway down on his knees, clenched both his fists and let out a celebratory yell.

Wawrinka thrilled

Wawrinka, who complemented Federer very well — he volleyed superbly — was understandably thrilled.

“They are a tough doubles team, but we played together. It is incredible. I have a chance to play with the No. 1. It is great to be together on court and hear the crowd root for us at the Olympics,” said Wawrinka.

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