After his step-down as captain of Indian Devis Cup team on August 20, Leander Paes is yet again on his career height as he sails to both the finals of men’s and mixed doubles of the ongoing US Open. At the age of 35, he is still going strong, and on the front to claim both the doubles titles at the last Grand Slam of the year.
Paes, the seventh seeded, is for a second time on the door to capture both the doubles titles in a major international tennis championship after the 1999 Wimbledon. With this feat, Leander has showed again to his critics that there is much left in him being a steadfast doubles-specialist with already seven Grand Slam doubles victories in his kitty.
Just after advancing to the finals of the mixed doubles with partner Clara Black of Zimbabwe beating Russian Nadia Petrova and Swiss Jonas Bjorkman in straight sets 6-4, 6-4, the Indo-Cze duo (Leander Paes- Lukas Dlouhy) defeated Argentina's Maqxim Gonzaez and Juan Monaco in straight sets 6-2, 6-0, Paes to enter into their first Grand Slam final.
In the men’s doubles final, the Leander-Lukas duo will taken on the second seeded United State’s Bryan brothers – Bob and Mike Bryan to claim the men’s doubles title. While in the final of mixed doubles, the Indo-Zimbabwean pair will meet Liezel Huber of the USA and Jamie Murray of Britain.
Leander Paes’s Doubles Record
Grand Slam doubles victories: French Open (1999, 2001), Wimbledon (1999), US Open (2006)
Mixed Doubles victories: Wimbledon (1999, 2003), Australian Open (2003)
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