Jarkko Nieminen wins first ATP doubles title with partner Robert Lindstedt

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On Sunday, the Finnish tennis No.1 Jarkko Nieminen gained some consolation for what has been a rather disappointing season so far by winning his first-ever ATP doubles title in Mumbai, India.
      Nieminen and his regular men’s doubles partner Robert Lindstedt of Sweden emerged victorious in the Kingfisher Airlines Open in Mumbai, beating the pairing of Rohan Bopanna (India) and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi (Pakistan) in a closely-fought encounter that went without breaks of service and ended 7-6 (3), 7-6 (5). The match lasted an hour and 39 minutes.
     
Nieminen’s delight was not tempered by the fact that the 3rd-seeded duo had their path to the final somewhat eased by withdrawals in the opening rounds.
      In the opening match their German opponents Nicolas Kiefer and Rainer Schüttler withdrew without a ball being hit, and in the last eight the game with British pairing James Auckland and Ross Hutchins had to be abandoned after two sets when Hutchins collapsed with dehydration.
      The semi-final produced a real contest, however, with the Finnish-Swedish partnership coming through 6-1, 7-5 over Serbs Boris Pashanski and Viktor Troicki.
     
The Finnish left-hander, currently ranked 25th on the ATP singles list, now has a doubles title to go with the only singles title he has won so far, from Auckland in New Zealand in early 2006.
      He and Lindstedt have been playing together fairly regularly for some time, and this was their 21st tournament and their first ATP final. Nieminen’s doubles ranking improves by 8 places to 48th.
     
Jarkko Nieminen will now play in the singles at the AIG Japan Open in Tokyo, where he is seeded 5th and enjoys a bye in the first round.
      He chose not to enter the doubles event in Tokyo, preferring to save his strength for the Stockholm Open next week, when he will once again be entered in both singles and doubles, again partnering Robert Lindstedt.
      It was in Stockholm in 2001 where Nieminen broke through internationally, reaching the final in only his second full ATP tournament.


Links:
  ATP Tennis: Jarkko Nieminen

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