Paes becomes the winningest man in Grand Slam mixed doubles history.
By Sujeet Rajan
FLUSHING MEADOWS, NEW YORK: The fourth seeds Leander Paes and Martina Hingis beat the unseeded pair of Sam Querrey and Bethanie Mattek-Sands of the United States in three entertaining sets 6-4, 3-6, 10-7 to lift the US Open Mixed Doubles title and a check of $150,000 at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, here, on Friday.
Between Leander and Hingis, there was 76 years on court. Paes, at 42, has already achieved the distinction of becoming the oldest man to win a Grand Slam tournament. He created some more history on court at the Louis Armstrong stadium today by winning his 9th mixed doubles title at a Grand Slam event, which made him the most winningest man at Grand Slams mixed doubles championships.
Paes surpassed Mahesh Bhupathi with his 9th title. He now only trails Martina Navratilova – who has 10 titles – in the most mixed doubles titles won at Grand Slam tournaments.
Paes has also eight men’s doubles titles at the majors, including a career Grand Slam too.
Paes and Hingis also became the first duo to win three Grand Slam titles in a year after a similar feat was achieved by Margaret Court and Marty Riessen, in 1969.
For Hingis, who turns 35 later this month, this was the fourth Grand Slam mixed doubles title, with three of them coming this year partnering Paes; they missed out on the French Open. Her other mixed doubles win was in 2006 at the Australian Open. She has a chance for another title when she plays the women’s doubles tomorrow, partnering Sania Mirza. She has five singles and 10 women’s doubles titles at the majors.
If Hingis does that tomorrow, that would be in some ways a career Grand Slam, counting the three other Grand Slams partnering Paes.
Paes was undoubtedly the star of the match today, with a dominating court presence, which belied his age. He showed impeccable touch at the net, and sent searing volleys down the middle of the court in the later part of the match, to which his World Team Tennis partner Querrey and Mattek-Sands had no answer.
A large Indian crowd at the stadium showed vociferous support for Paes as he displayed awesome flexibility and reflexes in pouching balls at the net for sharp winners, which negated the big serve of Querrey.
In the first set, Mattek-Sands was broken in the second game, after Paes sent some ferocious volleys straight at her body, which she could only fend off weakly. That break decided the set.
In the second set, Hingis was broken in the 4th game for the pair to go down 1-3. A couple of times, Paes moved too early to leave the court exposed and Mattek-Sands took advantage to put away easy forehand winners. Despite the break in serve in the fourth game, Hingis displayed some terrific wide angled forehands, which she is renowned for. A peach of a point was when she kept drawing Querrey further away from the court, to finally score a winner, which left the American floundering.
The match was also a sharp contrast in styles as Paes and Hingis were on the offensive throughout, positioned at the net, while their opponents stayed at the baseline, in rallies.
The third set, decided by whoever reached 10 points with a difference of two, or thereafter by the same margin, saw a see-saw battle as Paes picked up his level of play. Some glittering tennis ensued.
Though Hingis lost both her serves to give a 1-4 lead to Querrey and Mattek-Sands, Paes was up to the challenge and pulled one back with an excellent forehand smash. Mattek-Sands served well to make it 5-2, but then the set turned on its head again.
Paes served and volleyed down the middle, and Hingis forced a winner at the net after an excellent serve by Paes, to narrow the lead to 5-4. Querrey crumbed under pressure for a double fault for the scores to be even.
Though Hingis again missed an easy volley at the net, Paes stayed cool under pressure. He went down the middle, exposing the chinks and lack of team play on the other side of the court, to make it 6-6. Querrey and Mattek-Sands had signed up as a pair for the first time this tournament.
Paes and Hingis took the lead after an unforced error by Mattek-Sands. Paes then consolidated it and sent the crowd into a tizzy with a superb forehand winner. He picked up a hard volley from his foot and chipped it with immaculate accuracy for a winner down the line. Paes followed it up with a winner down the middle, which was his forte for the day, and a lunge at the net finished the match.
In his post-match comments, Paes praised Hingis for being a “fantastic” person on and off the court.
“To win this with one of my best friends…you are just fantastic, both on and off the court,” Paes said to Hingis.
Hingis said that since the time she played with Paes at the World team tennis, they had immediately struck a fine understanding. There has been no looking back since then.