French Open 2016 | Leander Paes and Matkowski ousted in quarter-final

French Open 2016 | Leander Paes and Matkowski ousted in quarter-final

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Image Courtesy: © Getty Images

Sixteenth seeds Leander Paes and Marcin Matkowski exited the 2016 French Open on Wednesday after losing to two-time former champions and fifth seeds Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan. The American duo defeated Paes and Matkowski 7-6, 6-3 in the quarter-final match to remain on course for the title.

After knocking out fourth seeds and Australian Open champions Bruno Soares and Jamie Murray in round 3, Leander Paes and Marcin Matkowski arrived in the quarter-final stage high on confidence against the Bryan brothers. But, the 2003 and 2013 title winners showed their prowess in the matchup, and knocked out the Indo-Polish pair in a match that lasted one hour and 39 minutes.

As expected, the first set proved to be a tight one with both pairs refusing to surrender to the other. But in the fifth game, the American pair broke through the sixteenth seeds and went two games up in the set. However, the Indo-Polish pair bounced right back and returned the favour to their opponents in the next game. The deadlock continued till the score reached 6-6, before the tie-breaker swung the set in favour of the fifth seeds.

Paes and Matkowski looked on course to take the set in the tie-breaker after they took a 3-0 lead, but the Americans bounced back and made it 4-4. The lead went back and forth from that point till it reached 12-12, before the Bryan brothers clinched two points in a row to take the first set.

An agonising loss in the first set weakened the spirit of Paes and Matkowski in the second set as they looked out of sorts against the American duo. The Indo-Polish saved a break point in the first game, and were almost on the brink of gaining a 2-0 lead by the putting Bryan brothers in a tight spot. But the two-time champions saved two break points before breaking the sixteenth seeds in the 7th and the 9th game to take the set 6-3.  

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