New Delhi:
The Indo-Pak 'peace pair' of Rohan Bopanna and Aisam-ul-haq-Qureshi went down fighting in their first ever Grand Slam final as they lost 6-7, 6-7 to the top seeded pair of Mike Bryan and Bob Bryan.
Bopanna and Qureshi did really well to hold on to their serve throughout the match but the experience of the Bryan brothers helped them seal the match by winning both the sets in tie-breakers.
Qureshi and Bob Bryan played each other on Thursday as well in the final of the mixed-doubles event in which Bob Bryan triumphed with her partner Liesel Huber.
Bopanna and Qureshi, friends whose countries have engaged in three major wars and remain in dispute over the Kashmir region, have spent much of 2010 using their doubles partnership to try to improve relations between their countries.
(Read & Watch: NDTV Exclusive interview with Bopanna, Qureshi)Bopanna and Qureshi first played together in 2003 but did not become devoted teammates until this year, when they played under the slogan "Stop War, Start Tennis." They are each 30 years old and are working to promote understanding and tolerance in their countries, but they do not profess to be similar.
(With PTI inputs)