India'a top junior pair of Sania Mirza and Saana Bhambri failed to reproduce the form they displayed in the earlier rounds and went down tamely in the semi-finals of the girls' mixed doubles at the French Open on Friday.
The Indian pair lost in straight sets 0-6, 2-6 to Katerina Bohmova of the Czech Republic and Michaela Krajicek of the Netherlands, two of the best under-15 girls in Europe.
The only time in seven service games that the Indian girls were not broken was in the second game of the second set.
But they also did manage a break in the seventh game of the second set, off Bohmova.
Despite the defeat, it was a very good effort by Sanaa and Sania. To go into a Grand Slam tournament unseeded and reach the semi-finals is commendable.
After the French Open, Sanaa's doubles rank will go up from near No. 60 to near No. 30. However, Sania will not move up much from No. 13.
Bohmova and Krajicek will take on Marta Fraga and Adriana Gonzalez Penaz of Spain in the final.
The Spanish duo beat Andrea Hlavackova of the Czech Republic and Aurelija Miseviciute of Lithuania 6-3, 6-3.