The Indian hopes of a tennis medal were dashed by the Czech Republic’s Radek Stepanek and Lucie Hradecka, even as Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna tried their best to make a fight of it at the Olympic Tennis Centre on Sunday.
The 37-year-old Stepanek was jumping for joy after he and the equally delighted Hradecka sealed the bronze medal with a 6-1, 7-5 victory. It was his maiden Olympic medal from his third Games. The bronze was a welcome medal Hradecka, who missed out in the women’s doubles this time after having won silver in the last edition with Andrea Hlavackova.
Sania and Bopanna were unable to lift their game at the crunch though they were superb in patches.
After the Indian pair had slid to 0-5, Bopanna managed a hold to avert a first-set bagel.
There was still room for recovery when the Indians broke Stepanek after Bopanna had dropped serve in the first game of the second set.
The Indian duo went on to break Hradecka to lead 3-1. However, in the crucial fifth game, a backhand down-the-line winner from Hradecka on break-point on Bopanna’s serve saw the Czechs draw level.
Once Hradecka survived a break-point in the eighth game, the Indian fight came to an end.
Sania served two double-faults in the 11th game and was broken after saving two breakpoints, leaving it to Hradecka to serve the match out.The Czechs had one ace and four double-faults, to the two aces and six double-faults that India served up.
Stepanek and Hradecka converted five of 10 breakpoints while the Indian pair capitalised on two of four.
Puerto Rican Puig bags singles goldMonica Puig of Puerto Rico, the world No.34, beat Australian Open champion, Wimbledon runner-up and World No. 2 Angelique Kerber of Germany 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 in the women’s final on Saturday.
“I could not really believe what just happened. It was such an amazing moment and the ball seemed to be going out a little slow,” said the 22-year-old, who has a solitary Tour title to her credit.
Puig said she was happy with the way she kept improving with every match.
“I started getting faster. I started getting more powerful. I started believing in myself even more.” “I just achieved one of my biggest dreams,” she said.
“I hope this can be an inspiration to all Latin women that everything can be done in this life,” Puig said.
Petra Kvitova won the bronze beating Madison Keys of the US 7-5, 2-6, 6-2.
The men’s final will feature Andy Murray of Great Britain and Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro.
Murray beat Kei Nishikori 6-1, 6-4, while del Potro fought past former champion Rafael Nadal, winning 5-7, 6-4, 7-6(5) in a thriller.
