Bopanna, Lu beaten in Tashkent Challenger

TASHKENT - The Indian challenge at the $125,000 Tashkent ATP Challenger series ended Thursday with second seeds Rohan Bopanna and Hsun Yen Lu going down to the local pair of Denis Istomin and Murad Inoyatov in the men’s doubles semifinals.

The Uzbek pair of Istomin and Inoyatov toppled the Indo-Taipei combination 3-6, 6-1, 10-5 in a well contested semi-final. Bopanna and Lu had to be content with 40 ATP points and $2,700 for their efforts.

Local hero and second seeded Denis Istomin, fourth seeded Christophe Rochus of Belgium, eighth seeded Sergiy Stakhovsky (Ukr) and unseeded Lukas Lacko of Slovakia scored contrasting wins to enter the quarterfinals of the mens singles.