Bopanna upset by Swiss qualifier in first round

Segovia, Spain, Aug 1 (UNI) Rohan Bopanna made a shock exit, losing in straight sets to Swiss qualifier Michel Kratochvil in a singles first round match at the ATP challenger series tournament here.

The highest-ranked Indian male on the circuit, Bopanna was horribly out of touch yesterday and surrendered 3-6, 3-6 to the Swiss in the 125,000 dollar event.

His doubles partner, Pakistani ace Aisam-ul Haq Qureshi survived a scare before chalking out a 7-6 (4), 7-6 (3) win over local qualifier Adrian Menendez, courtesy his superior service.

Both Bopanna and Qureshi, who paired to win consecutive titles over last two weeks, have already made it into the doubles pre-quarter-finals after a 6-4, 4-6, 10-6 win over James Cerretani of America and Lukas Rosol of Czech Republic.

Another Indian Mustafa Ghouse and his German partner Frank Moser also won their first round match yesterday, defeating an all Spanish pair of Guillermo Alcaide and Oscar Burrieza 2-6, 7-5, 10-6.

They would take on Swiss-German pair of Michel Kratochvil and Gilles Muller of Luxembourg in the next round.

UNI