FLUSHING MEADOWS, N.Y. — Pakistan’s Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi and the Czech Republic’s Kveta Peschke may have lost the U.S. Open mixed doubles championship to the American duo of Bob Bryan/Liezel Huber 6-4, 6-4, but Qureshi and his men’s partner, India’s Rohan Bopanna, are drawing attention around the world for their unlikely partnership.
Just a half-hour before the mixed championship, Pakistani Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani called to wish Qureshi well. It took about five different levels of handlers to connect Qureshi with the Gillani, but once they spoke, the Prime Minister wished the foremost player in the history of Pakistani tennis well, congratulated him on what he was doing, and let him know that he was giving hope to the people of his home country.
Quereshi noted that for the past few days, tennis has actually been more popular in cricket-mad Pakistan than the national sport itself, and that big screens have been put up in movie houses and clubs all over the country to show his matches.
“Pakistan is going crazy over tennis right now,” said the personable Quereshi, with the hint of a smile.
In New York, the U.N. ambassadors from both Pakistan and India came to see Qureshi and Bopanna’s 7-6(5), 6-4 semifinal win on Wednesday over Eduardo Schwank/Horacio Zeballos. The ambassadors promised to come out to watch the final against the Bryan Bros., in what may be the most anticipated men’s doubles final in years. The two teams have each won a match against the other, with the Indian-Pakistani duo claiming victory in their most recent match in Washington, D.C.
Bob Bryan, who collected his second U.S. Open win with the No. 1-ranked
Huber, said the Indo-Pak Express were great guys who are well liked in the locker room. Bryan, who, along with his brother Mike, is known for his generosity, announced that the brothers have made a contribution for flood relief in Pakistan. Qureshi noted that there are 40 million people who have been left homeless due to flooding.
For her part, Huber said, “I think why I became a tennis player, so that I have a platform to stand on to raise awareness for causes…I want to give as much of myself to one or two or three things. I can definitely commend the boys for truly reaching out. It’s such devastation. People look at us and go, ‘Okay. They make a lot of money.’ But it’s a good thing if we can make a lot of money and we can give back, if we can make a difference. Right now I’m bringing a boy from South Africa. He’s 11 months old and he has a vascular disease…I built a school in South Africa and I build playgrounds there. I helped some of the flood victims in Nashville. I just want to do everything. I’m trying to really just focus on getting one thing done and then moving on to the next thing. But we are very fortunate. We live on the outskirts of Houston, and we raise awareness to the local causes, toy drives, food drives, helping the local kids that can’t afford shoes on their feet.”
NOTES
TRY AND TRUMP THIS: Donald Trump sat in Caroline Wozniacki‘s Players Box during the Dane’s win over Dominika Cibulkova.
THINGS THAT (DON’T) GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT: Asked about mixed doubles teammate Bob Bryan‘s celebratory chest bump, Liezel Huber said, “He wants to chest bump, chest bump, chest bump. I’m like, ‘No! Do it with your girlfriend! Don’t chest bump me!'”
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“If me and Rohan can get along so well on and off the court, there’s no reason the Indians and Pakistanis can’t get along either.” — Aisam-Ul-Haq Quershi
“I’ve played in such strong winds. I’ve practiced in such hot conditions. Whatever you throw at me, I can do it. Obviously, if it’s snowing, then it gets a bit different. I haven’t had that yet, so I guess I would freak out when that starts happening.” —Roger Federer
