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Rediff.com  » Sports » Photos: Doubles delight for Paes at US Open
This article was first published 12 years ago

Photos: Doubles delight for Paes at US Open

Last updated on: September 6, 2011 19:36 IST

Image: Paes and Bhupathi in action against Somdev and Conrad
Photographs: Jay Mandal

Leander Paes had much to cheer about at the US Open on Monday, having advanced to the quarter-finals of the men's doubles and semi-finals of the mixed doubles.

Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi made the last eight stage, beating compatriot Somdev Devvarman and his Filipino partner Treat Conrad Huey.

The fourth seeded Indian pair prevailed 6-4, 7-5, the pre-quarter-final clash lasting an hour and 32 minutes.

Paes also made it to the semi-finals of the mixed doubles

Image: Paes-Bhupathi and Somdev-Conrad battle it out

Paes-Bhupathi now face the sixth seeded Polish pair of Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski in the quarter-finals.

Fyrstenberg and Matkowski defeated the British duo of Jaime Delgado and Jonathan Marray 6-7 (5-7), 6-2, 6-3 to enter the last eight.

Paes also made it to the semi-finals of the mixed doubles.

He and his Russian partner Elena Vesnina beat unseeded Olga Govortsova and Marcin Matkowski 6-2, 6-4 in a little over 60 minutes.

The Indo-Russian pair, which won 57 points to their opponents' 40, will meet Melanie Oudin and Jack Sock in the semi-finals.

Somdev-Treat squander chances

Image: Mahesh's wife Lara Dutta watches the action from the stands

Somdev and Treat had their moments in the game, the duo troubling the Indian pair with their aces, but a series of unforced errors and failure to convert as many as five break-points put paid to their hopes.

Somdev bowed out of the men's singles earlier, losing to Andy Murray in straight sets in the first round.

'Indian Express' seeking maiden US Open crown

Image: Paes-Bhupathi

The 'Indian Express, on the other hand, stayed away from unforced errors and converted two break-points out of the seven that came their way.

They also hit 37 winners compared to 30 by Somdev-Treat.

Another Indian, Rohan Bopanna and his Pakistani partner Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi are also in the quarter-finals. They will meet the unseeded British pair of Colin Fleming and Ross Hutchins for a place in the semis.

Paes and Bhupathi, who together were runners-up in 1999, when they became the first pair in the Open Era to reach all the four Slam finals in a year, have both won the men's doubles title at the US Open with different partners.

Paes won it twice, first partnering Martin Damm of the Czech Republic in 2006, and then with Lukas Dlouhy, also of the Czech Republic, in 2009.

Bhupathi won with Max Mirnyi of Belarus in 2002.