India's Sania Mirza (L) with India's Mahesh Bhupathi during their second round mixed doubles match against Australia's Paul Hanley and Russia's Alla Kudryavtseva on day six of the 2012 Wimbledon Championships tennis tournament at the All England Tennis Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on June 30, 2012. AFP PHOTO / GLYN KIRK
LONDON – French Open mixed doubles champions Mahesh Bhupathi and Sania Mirza of India crashed out of Wimbledon in the second round on Saturday.
The defeat is a blow to their preparations ahead of the London 2012 Olympic tennis tournament, which gets under way at the All England Club next month.
The pair hopes to team up again for the contest, if the All India Tennis Association allows them.
Indian media reported top men’s doubles player Leander Paes made being paired with Mirza in the Olympic mixed a pre-condition for playing with a lower-ranked player in the men’s, in a bitter, wide-ranging personality clash that has dominated India’s preparations for the Games.
Bhupathi and Mirza were beaten 6-3, 6-1 by Paul Hanley of Australia and Russia’s Alla Kudryavtseva on Court 5.
Paes was playing at the same time in the men’s doubles, with Czech partner Radek Stepanek, just metres away on the adjacent Court 6.