Tennis /On heels of upset, Ram and co. falter

Andy Ram and Max Mirnyi's hopes of winning in ATP World Tour Finals doubles competition took a blow yesterday as the team succumbed to the Polish-Austrian duo of Lukasz Kubot and Oliver Marach 4-6, 6-4, 16-14 in London.

After taking the first set and keeping it close in the second, the Israeli Ram and his Belarusian partner cracked in the tiebreak, failing to capitalize on three match-point opportunities.

Having upset American sibling powerhouse Bob and Mike Bryan - ranked second in the world - 6-4, 6-4 in their opening group match Monday, Ram and Mirnyi could have booked a place in the last four with a win yesterday.

"We had all the chances in the world to win," Ram told the sports Web site ONE. "These close matches are so exciting, that even when we lose, we still feel the pressure. The crowd got into the match, and all in all we felt good on the court."

Ram and Mirnyi needn't throw in the towel just yet. Results in other Group C competition, and a win of their own match Friday against the Czech-Indian team of Lukas Dlouhy and Leander Paes, could still land the pair in the semifinal.