Bops and Sharan reach final

PUNE: If they can keep up their good habit of saving match points to win tight super tie-breaks, this combination could go places. A day after the pair of Rohan Bopanna and Divij Sharan saved six match points to beat Leander Paes and Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela, they got the better of Simone Bolelli and Ivan Dodig — both Grand Slam champions — in another ripper. 

After they claimed the first 6-3, breaking Dodig’s serve in the eighth game, the pair lost momentum as Sharan’s less than convincing service game returned to haunt them for a second night running. The opponents broke the World No 39 in the fourth game before taking the second stanza with an identical scoreline. 

It looked like curtains for them in the ensuing super tie-break as they trailed 7-9 at one stage. But after Dodig shanked a presentable forehand passing shot, the 38-year-old Bopanna executed a flawless backhand crosscourt passing shot to restore parity. But it wasn’t yet done as a contest as the Italy-Croatia duo saved four match points of their own thanks to a combination of some gritty net play and shanked shots from the Indians. At 14-13, Dodig hit an inside-out forehand long to hand the affair to them. 
“Happy to ride the wave (winning close matches)... as long as it is going for us,” Bopanna said. “That’s the way it is.” 

Reaching a final at the very first time of asking — this is the first time that these two have paired up at this level — means both of them have already had a better start to the year compared to 2018 (they lost with different partners in the semifinals here). And Bopanna was of the opinion that they are bound to improve if they play and win at this level on a consistent basis. “If you look at these two players today, they are both Slam champions. This is the level we will be playing week in week out at the 500s and Masters. So if you consistently play at that level, you will improve.”

In the short term — ahead of Saturday’s final against the Great Britain pairing of Luke Bambridge and Jonny O’Mara — one area which could do with some improvement is Sharan’s service game. He had a shocker on Thursday, a theme that continued 24 hours later. The Delhiite is aware of it. “I am probably spinning the ball too much,” he said. “I am kind of trying to find my rhythm.”        
Misplaced confidence or genuine belief? The answer will be revealed on Saturday.