Karachi, Sept 13: Pakistan tennis star Aisamul Haq Qureshi has expressed his disappointment over the defeat in the semi-final of the doubles event at the US Open, and said that he "could not sleep that night."

Aisam and his Indian partner, Rohan Bopanna, crashed out of the US Open after losing to the Polish pair of Mariusz Frystenberg and Marcin Matkowski 6-2, 7-6 (7-4) in the semi-final clash last Saturday.

"I couldn't sleep that night. It was extremely stressful because we were in control until the rain disrupted the match. I believe we gave it all emotionally and mentally in the quarterfinal," The Express Tribune quoted Aisam, as saying.

Aisam, who was seeded fifth in the tournament along with Bopanna, termed the defeat as disappointing, knowing fully well that the trophy was around the corner.

He said the pair, commonly referred to as the Indo-Pak Express, had been drained after they only had a one-and-a-half hour break between the rain-delayed quarterfinal match and the last-four clash.

"Had we finished the quarterfinal on the first day, the result would have been different," said the 31-year-old.

"The Polish players have been among the top 10 for the past five years and they were very consistent, plus their match was decided on Thursday," he said, however, adding: "It's not an excuse on my part, but losing the semi-final was just devastating."

Aisam has now set his sights on the London Masters in December, where only the top eight players take part.

"I will make up for the US Open loss at the London Masters," he said. "Once I'm there, I'll forget about the US Open. It's going to be an honour for me as a Muslim and the first Pakistani to be a part of that tournament."
(ANI)