Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi (
Pakistan) And Rohan Bopanna (
India) Teams up at US open - Ended Runner ups :happy:
It had been quite a ride, but the "Indo-Pak Express" finally ran out of steam at the US Open tennis championship here on Friday. At the men's doubles final of the Grand Slam tournament, it almost seemed as if the symbolism of the partnership between Indian tennis professional Rohan Bopanna and Pakistan’s Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi at times outshone the substance of their game.
There was plenty of substance, however. Bopanna and Qureshi didn't just ride the intense fascination they've attracted at this year’s US Open all the way to the final — in fact, the 16th-seeded pair hadn't lost a set before they lost the final to the top-seeded Bryan twins, Bob and Mike, of the United States, in straight sets via tie breaks, 6-7, 6-7.
But the score wouldn't have mattered to the crowd that turned out in full force on a windy and chilly afternoon at the impressive Arthur Ashe stadium. Bopanna and Qureshi had plenty of "home" support with Indians and Pakistanis in the New York area showing up in good numbers to cheer them on. Bopanna's parents flew in from India in a last-minute decision, just making it to the stadium before even checking into their hotel.
Also looking on were India and Pakistan's Permanent Representatives to the United Nations. Dressed in matching beige jackets, with India's Hardeep Puri sporting a navy blue turban and Pakistan's Abdullah Haroon a yellow sun hat, the two diplomats found themselves sitting together on the same side of a contest for a change, even as the media speculated on whether this tennis bonhomie could net some actual bilateral progress.
Speaking to reporters after the match, Haroon opened serve with a flourish: "I say let's make the dream of these boys a reality, let them play tennis on the Wagah border with both countries watching."
"All right, there have been differences, there have been problems," remarked Puri, with the masterful understatement of a skilled diplomat, and added, "I think the overall effort is to isolate those problems and live in peace and harmony. We were delighted to have Rohan and Aisam performing so well, and that helps.”
For Qureshi especially, who clearly had a message he wanted to convey about his country, it helped that he also performed well with the microphone. He won a standing ovation when he spoke in the stadium after the match, asserting that Pakistan had acquired a wrong reputation as a terrorist country, and that his fellow Pakistanis wanted peace as much as anybody else.
Throughout their run at this year's US Open, Bopanna and Qureshi had faced questions from the international media about their unusual partnership and how it could bring two historically hostile nations together.
While they have happily embraced their role in setting a positive example, that's not what brought them together.
Qureshi had been playing with Indians throughout his career as there were few Pakistanis on the tour; Bopanna said they first decided to pair up in 2003 because they thought it would help each other's games.
It certainly did. Quarter-finalists at Wimbledon, finalists at the US Open - Bopanna and Qureshi have arrived in the big leagues this year. As for promoting Indo-Pak peace and friendship through sports, their strongest argument could be not that they set out to be an example and therefore paired up, but that they got together without any grand designs and find it to be the most unremarkable and natural thing for an Indian and Pakistani to be playing on the same team.
Guests: 2006