The top-seeded Indo-Bahamas duo of Mahesh Bhupathi and Mark Knowles proved their superiority by claming the $ 769,000 ATP doubles title in Regions Morgan Keegan Championships in Memphis on Sunday.
The pair finally put an end to their six-month title drought as they precisely took one hour and 16 minutes to register a 7-6(5), 6-2 straight sets victory over Thai twins Sanchai and Sonchat Ratiwatana.
The Indo-Bahamas duo faced some challenge from their Thai counterparts in the first set as it was stretched to tie-breaker and they won it 7-6(5) but the pair sealed the issue in their favour by clinching the second set 6-2 with consummate ease.
Interestingly the duo had a dream run in the entire tournament, as they didn’t drop a lone set in the event. For record it was their maiden triumph together. The win brought Bhupathi's 42nd career title while Knowles increased his triumphs to 48th.
''It's good to win the first title of the year. We served well, focussed hard because we knew if we did well, we could have a shy at the title,'' said elated Bhupathi after winning the title.
The title win has also helped Indian tennis star Bhupathi to climb one spot further to 17th spot in the latest ATP doubles rankings released on Monday. The duo now moves on to Dubai where they are seeded fourth. India’s tennis ace Leander Paes and Rohan Bopanna will also be seen in action with their respective partners in the event.
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