Paes out, Bhupati advances: mixed doubles

Mahesh Bhupathi and Elena Likhovtseva entered the quarter-finals of the mixed doubles event at Wimbledon on Wednesday, but Leander Paes and Lisa Raymond crashed out of the event in the third round.

Fourth seeds Bhuapthi and Likhovtseva defeated 14th seeds Jeff Tarango and Jelena Dokic 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, while the sixth seeds Paes and Raymond lost to unseeded Bob Bryan and Lisa McShea 7-5, 5-7, 5-7.

Bhuapthi and Likhovtseva stated the match with Bhupathi facing a break-point on his serve, which he managed to save. In the third game the Indo-Russian pair broke Jelena to lead 3-1. They again had a break chance off Tarango's serve in the ninth game, but could not convert it. They were in trouble in the tenth game on Bhupathi's serve when a double-fault pushed him to break-point. However, the Indian shot off an ace to save the game and take the set.

In the second set, Bhupathi and Likhovtseva again got a break, off Dokic's serve, in the fourth game. And just when it looked like the match was pretty much under their grasp, Likhovtseva had some trouble getting her first serves and lost the game to surrender the lead.

Then, Bhupathi was in trouble facing a break attempt and set point in the tenth game. They did try to save it, but failed as their rivals took it, and with it the set.

In the third set, the Indo-Russian pair again got a break to go up 2-1. Hereafter, games went with serves. At 5-4, in the tenth game Bhuapthi fired his sixth ace to earn two match-points. He converted the second match-point to take the match.

Bhuapthi and Likhovtseva will now face unseeded Bob Bryan and Lisa McShea in the quarter-finals.

The Paes and Raymond match started with Raymond facing a break attempt in the fourth game, but went on to hold it. In the 11th game, two good volleys from Paes at the net earned them a break-point, off McShe's serve, which they converted to go up 6-5. An inspired Paes had some superb net-play in the next game as they proceeded take the first set at 7-5

In the second set, Paes and Raymond continued their attack on McShea and broke in the third game to lead 2-1. But Paes dropped his serve in the next game and lost the advantage. Games then went with serves. In the 12th game a double fault from Lisa gave Bryan and McShea a break chance and set point. Bob Bryan sent a return straight to Lisa's feet to take the set at 7-5.

In the third set, Paes and Raymond again broke McShea in the third game. But Paes lost his serve in the sixth game to lose the advantage. Games went with serve till the 11th game. In the 12th game Raymond lost her serve on the third match point in the fading light as they lost the match.

In the boys' singles, Sunil Kumar's fine run was halted by British qualifer Ken Skupski in the third round.

Skupski defeated Sunil 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 in a hard-fought match, which lasted for two hours and 10 minutes and had 25 break points and about 35 deuces with only five break-points converted by either player.

Sunil started badly in the first set. He was broken in the first game itself. He again faced break points in the third game, but won four points in a row to hold serve. He ran into trouble again in the eighth game, facing set points at 30-40. He fought off three set points, after five deuces, before dropping his serve to lose the set.

In the second set, Sunil got two break chances at 15-40, off Skupski's serve in the third game. But after two deuces, Skupski went on to hold the serve. In the ninth game, Sunil finally broke Skupski to lead at 5-4. But Skupski didn't allow Sunil to take the set easily. He fought off two set points from 40-15 and three more at ADs out. Sunil finally converted his sixth set point to take the set after 55 minutes.

In the third set, Sunil lost his serve in the second game, but in the fifth game broke Skupski. Both the players were tied at 3-3. But, in the tenth game, Sunil lost a break-point and lost the match.

In the girl's doubles Sania Mirza, playing with Erika Valdes of Mexico, lost to the fourth seeds Chia-Jung Chuang and Su-Wei Hsieh of Taiwan 4-6, 0-6 in the first round.

Sania and Erika fell behind in the first game and after the fourth seeds held serve, it was 0-3 in the first set. They kept fighting, and came back by converting their first break chance in the seventh game to even it at 3-4. But they dropped serve in the next game. They fought again and got the break back in the 9th game once again to go 4-5. However, they dropped serve to lose the set.

In the second set, the fourth seeds completely routed the lowest ranked doubles team in the draw.

In the Gentlemen's 35 RR doubles, Ramesh Krishnan and Paul Hand of Great Britain won their second round robin match against the South African pair of Peter Aldrich and Danie Visser 6-1, 7-6(7-5). Krishan and Hand had lost the first match.

In the next match they will face the top seeded British pair of Jeremy Bates and Nick Fulwood.