India’s Bopanna, Pakistan’s Qureshi advance more than their tennis fortunes

Reporting from New York — 

Rohan Bopanna is from India, Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi is from Pakistan, and for that reason what they have accomplished at the U.S. Open is worthy of praise.

They have made it to the men’s doubles finals. They beat Argentina’s Eduardo Schwank and Horacio Zeballos, 7-6 (5), 6-4, on Wednesday and on Friday will play top-ranked Bob and Mike Bryan, the Camarillo twins who are the winningest doubles team in history.

But that isn’t what matters most. It wasn’t the classic movement around the court, the choreography of good doubles teams who two-step, sidestep, step up, step back to cover all the space that was good to see.

It was there, sitting in the stands, side by side, the United Nations ambassadors from India and Pakistan, two countries that have fought three wars since 1947 when they gained independence from Britain.

Two tennis players, who came together for convenience more than to make a grand statement, are in a small way showing another way to behave on a grander scale.

Indian ambassador Hardeep Puri told the Associated Press, “This is sports but it shows the great potential.”

Malik Zaheer, an 18-year-old who said his parents were born in Pakistan, said he came to Wednesday’s match to see if it was really true, that an Indian and Pakistani were playing together. “Someone told me it was impossible,” Zaheer said. “But it’s possible and they are winning.”

Qureshi and Bopanna have played together off and on since 2003. They’ve been nicknamed the Indo-Pak Express and are becoming a draw because of their nationalities as much as their tennis.

“Obviously it feels like us doing well is getting the message across throughout the world and among all Pakistanis and Indians,” Qureshi said. “I’ve always said if me and Rohan can get along so well off the court, there’s no reason the Indians and Pakistanis can’t get along with each other.”

Qureshi said he looked toward India to find a doubles partner because there were so few players in Pakistan and he wasn’t thinking about working toward world peace but only earning a living playing the game he loved.

More notice came to the team this year when they started wearing warmup jackets with the slogan “Stop War, Start Tennis.” Along with the new outerwear the pair has begun winning more. They made it to the quarterfinals at Wimbledon, where the stands were filled with Indians and Pakistanis sitting together.

But having the two U.N. ambassadors sitting together Wednesday was even more special, Qureshi said. “Both sitting together, clapping for the same cause and wanting us to win, it was a beautiful thing to see.”

And it isn’t as if Bopanna and Qureshi are at all alike, either in the way they play tennis or the way they approach life. “We don’t have many things in common,” Qureshi said. “He likes spicy food, I don’t. He likes to dance to slow songs, I don’t.” And it is Bopanna who provides pop, who has the big serve and the big strokes. Qureshi contributes the doubles delicacies, the little angle volleys, the quick move to cover the line.

“All these two weeks have been a dream come true,” Qureshi said. “I feel like it’s a dream. It’s been a great, unbelievable journey. I can’t thank Rohan enough for being my partner and playing with me.”

diane.pucin@latimes.com

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