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| Paes-Damm pair wins US Open men's doubles title | | | New York, Sep 10 :
Leander Paes and his Czech partner Martin
Damm rebounded from a set down to upset the second seeded
Swedish-Belarussian pair of Jonas Bjorkman and Max Mirnyi 6-7 (5/7),
6-4, 6-3 to win their first US Open men's doubles title here.
The win gave Paes his fourth Grandslam title.
''I don't think there are enough words to express how much fun,
I've actually had playing with Martin, because we're actually
opposites on the court,'' a jubilant Paes
said after the match.
''Martin is strong, while I'm more flashy and quick. We
complement each other and it's been a fantastic year playing with
him. I'd like to thank him for a wonderful year,'' he added in
praise of his partner.
The opening set was a lengthy battle and had to be decided
through tie-break in which Bjorkman and Mirnyi managed to seal the
issue because of their powerful serve.
The sixth seeds, however, were least affected by the initial
setback and staged a dramatic comeback to outplay their opponents in
the next two sets.
As the match entered into the second set, it became a battle
between the lanky Mirnyi -- nicknamed the beast for his ability to
clear high overhead shots, and Paes, who clinched numerous points
across the net.
There was hardly anything to choose between the two teams on
serves, but Bjorkman and Mirnyi's 15 unforced errors and nine double
faults went on to cost them dearly as Paes and Damm started getting
a foothold on the proceedings.
Paes, who expressed his frustration at losing the first set by
slamming his racket, pumped his fist and did some weird dance moves
with Damm as the duo won the second set to draw parity with their
higher seeded rivals.
As the third set got underway, fans at the Louis Armstrong
Stadium were treated to some excellent tennis by the two teams and
the match was being fought on an equal footing until Paes and Damm
-- up 4-3 -- snatched a break point to serve for the match.
When Damm slammed an overhead winner to secure the title, the duo
bounded into each other's arms to celebrate their first US Open
title together. |
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