Australian Open: Rohan Bopanna to face Sania Mirza in mixed doubles quarters

Melbourne, Jan 24: Sania Mirza set up a face-off with Rohan Bopanna in the mixed doubles quarter-finals after she and Ivan Dodig defeated Alexander Peya and Zheng Saisai 2-6, 6-3, 10-6 here on Tuesday.

Earlier in the day, Rohan Bopanna and Canada's Gabriela Dabrowski mounted a great fight back to win against Poland's Lukasz Kubot and Taiwan's Chan Yung-jan to win 6-4, 5-7, 10-3.

The quarter-final pits the two Indians who represented the country in mixed doubles at the 2016 Olympics. At the Rio Games, Sania-Bopanna lost the bronze medal play-off tie.

The Indo-Croatian pair were outplayed in the opening set as Peya-Zheng began the proceedings aggressively.

But the second-seeded Sania-Dodig used all their experience to turn the tide and broke their opponents at a crucial time in the second set to win it 7-5.

In the deciding third set tie-break, Sania-Dodig imposed themselves on the match, hit several winners, including backhand and forehand volleys, to snuff out the opposition in an hour and four minutes.

Second-seeded Sania and Croatian Dodig entered the second round after beating Germany's Laura Siegemund and Croatian Mate Pavic 7-5, 6-4.

The unseeded duo of Bopanna and Dabrowski clinched the first set without much fuss but went down in the second before bouncing back in the third set tie-breaker in a match that lasted one hour and 16 minutes.

Siddhant Banthia and Turk Kaya Gore entered the boys men's doubles quarter-final, beating Zizou Bergs and Yshai Oliel 6-3 7-6(6).

In the girls singles, Mihika Yadav lost 2-6, 1-6 against Japanese Mai Hontama.

IANS