India's tennis medal hopes are down to this one chance now. After first round defeats in both men's and women's doubles, the mixed doubles pair of Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna are the only ones left in the fray. Seeded fourth, they are clearly a medal prospect.
Many have called the Sania-Bopanna pairing a "Dream Team" for India. Both players have been doing well in doubles. Mirza is No. 1 in the world, while Bopanna is No. 15. The 35-year-old had managed to achieve a ranking as high as No. 3 back in 2013. Moreover, Mirza and Bopanna do combine well, which they'll have to maintain as they match up against stalwarts.
At 29, Mirza is playing in her third Olympics. With 37 titles, including six Grand Slams, the Hyderabad ace has been on a tremendous run of form, despite her recent break-up with Martina Hingis, with whom she broke several records. "Mixed doubles is the best bet we have in tennis,” said Mirza. The players seem happy in each other's company, unlike the forced pairing with Leander Paes.
Just three wins can give the pair a bronze medal. The Paes-Mirza duo didn't fare too badly last time, getting as far as the quarter-finals.
Mirza and Bopanna start their campaign by playing John Peers and Samantha Stosur of Australia. If India progresses, the duo may face Romanians Florin Mergea and Monica Niculescu, who are ranked 14th and 16th respectively.
A win in the quarter-final is likely to lead to a semi-final clash against either Venus Williams-Rajeev Ram of the US or Roberta Vinci-Fabio Fognini of Italy. Either way, the draw keeps them out of the path of the top-ranked Caroline Garcia and Nicolas Mahut, and of the second-ranked Kristina Mladenovic and Pierre-Hugues Herbert – both of France – or of Gabrine Muguruza and Rafael Nadal of Spain.
And a probable Swiss pairing of Martina Hingis and Roger Federer has not materialised either. So, this is the best chance Mirza and Bopanna have for an Olympic medal.