Bopanna and Sharan doubling up with ease

PUNE:  If the proof is in the pudding, the first two tablespoons of the Divij Sharan-Rohan Bopanna combination couldn’t have tasted any better. Till last August, they’d never played on the same side of the court, apart from the times they represented their sponsor. Since then, they have played in two high-level tournaments and won both.

Four months after winning gold at Asian Games, they have added another title to their kitty. When they decided to play together as a team on Tour at the end of last year, more than a few expected the pair to take their time.  On the court, though, that’s not what has transpired. Sure, there are still very tangible chinks in their armour. Sharan’s sometimes-flaky service and their tendency to leave the backcourt completely open at times are a few.

But their on-court understanding has hidden their flaws rather well. In the final against the Great Britain partnership of Jonny O’Mara and Luke Bambridge, their positives — Bopanna’s booming serves combined with winners from the back, and Sharan’s deft work at the net — outweighed the negatives.      
Having started the season by becoming the first all-Indian pair from the country to win at this level in two years (Bopanna and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan were the last in 2017, in Chennai), the key for them is to maintain focus. Because new teams winning at the start of the season is nothing new.

For this pair to zoom up the rankings, they will have to make to make winning a habit at 500 and Masters. That’s something 38-year-old Bopanna also pointed out. “As the season progresses, the tournaments get tougher. We will work more on our returns. Our coach will be joining us in Australia. That perspective from outside will help.”  

 The Coorg player was also intimate when asked about how big the win in Palembang was for the two as a team. “I think the chemistry has always been there for us. Our first match (they faced David Susanto and Ignatius Susanto) there went extremely well. As the tournament progressed, we started believing in each other and helping each other on the court. It felt good.”  Now the challenge is to continue on similar lines.

Road to title
R1: bt Malek Jaziri (TUN)/ Radu Albot (ROU) 6-1, 6-2. Quarters: bt Leander Paes/ Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela (MEX) 6-7 (4), 6-4, 17-15. 
Semifinals: bt Ivan Dodig (CRO)/ Simone Bolelli (ITA) 6-3, 3-6, 15-13. 
Final: bt Luke Bambridge (GBR)/ Jonny O’Mara (GBR) 6-3, 6-4.