Leander Paes-Radek Stepanek beat Alexander Peya-Bruno Soares in US Open final: As it happened
India's veteran tennis star Leander Paes clinched his 8th men's doubles title and his third US Open title. Overall, it is Paes' 14th major including 6 mixed doubles title.
Fourth seeds Leander Paes and Radek Stepanek beat second seeds Alexander Peya and Bruno Soares in the final of US Open men's doubles. Catch all the highs and lows from their win. (Match Scorecard | Match Report)
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FACTOID: At 40, Leander Paes is the oldest man to win a Grand Slam title.
23:39 (IST): After claiming his 3rd US Open title and his second Grand Slam with Stepanek, Paes says: "If anyone wants to find a perfect doubles partner, go to the Czech Republic. I need to thank my partner Stepanek for this success." It is now the third US Open title for Paes and the previous two had also come with Czech partners. In 2006, the Indian won with Martin Damm and in 2009 with Lukas Dlouhy. (In pics: How Paes and Stepanek lift their maiden US Open crown)
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Stepanek says: Paes has been with me through my thick and thin, I thank him for all the support.
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23:29 (IST) Thats it! Paes and Stepanek seal their maiden US Open title after 6-1 6-3 win over Peya-Soares.
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23:22 (IST) Peya-Soares hold on to serve but a still behind 4-3 in the second set.
23:18 (IST) A love-service game for Leander Paes makes it 4-2 for the Indo-Czech pair in the second set.
23:12 (IST) After getting some medical attention Alexander Peya is back to serving in the fifth game of the second set. Peya-Soares trail 3-1.
23:00 (IST) Peya-Soares finally prevail after a long 10-minute third game in the second set. Paes-Stepanek still lead 2-1.
22:49 (IST) Paes-Stepanek save a break point to go 2-0 up in the second set.
22:45 (IST) An early break of serve for Paes-Stepanek in the second set. Already 1-0 ahead.
22:41 (IST) Leander Paes plays a neat service game and holds on to close out the first set 6-1 against Peya-Soares.
22:33 (IST) Stepanek holds on to his sever successfully in what has been a perfect start for the elderly pair. Lead by 5-0 in first game.
22:29 (IST) Excellent team work shown by Paes-Stepanek, not allowing Peya-Soares to settle into any sort of rhythm. Paes-Stepanek lead 4-0 with double break of serve.
22:22 (IST) Paes-Stepanek lead 2-0 after an early break of serve. Bullish start for the fourth-seeded Indo-Czech pair.
22:19 (IST) Stepanek starts off well, holds on to his serve in the first game.
22:10 (IST) FACTOID: Winning team will split USD 460,000.
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22:03 (IST): Leander Paes, before the final: My partner Radek Stepanek is like a brother to me. We share a large part of our lives with together and we'll go and battle together out on the court.
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Match preview:
Partnering Radek Stepanek, the Indian veteran has been unstoppable in his unwavering quest to keep winning. On Sunday, he will be one win away from emulating Martina Navratilova who too won Grand Slams post reaching 40. Paes has won seven Grand Slam titles in men's doubles.
A player's body does wither with time and Paes is no different. His father however explains why the 'marathon-man' continues to wage successful wars on the tennis court. "He may have become a tad slow, but his hand-eye co-ordination is still very good and that's what makes him such a dangerous player, Dr Vece Paes was quoted as saying by a national daily.
In fact, the mastery over this co-ordination is so strong that Paes and Stepanek even brought down the fancied - and much younger - American pair of Mike and Bob Bryan in the semis. (Read full preview)
Paes and Stepanek's road to the 2013 US Open final
Semi-final: Beat top-seeds Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan 3-6 6-2 6-4
Quarterfinal: Beat fifth seeds Aisam ul-Haq Qureshi-Jean Julien Rojer 6-1 6-3 6-4
Third Round: Beat 14th seeds Nicolas Mahut and Michael Llodra 7-5 4-6 6-3
Second Round: Beat Daniel Brands-Philipp Oswald 4-6 6-3 6-4
First Round: Beat Jarkko Nieminen-Dmitry Tursanov 6-4 7-6
Paes rides the New York wave:
Leander Paes has eased past the milestone of his 40th birthday, made a car wreck of a Bollywood movie and overcome brain surgery, but nothing beats his 20-year love affair with New York. This is Paes' 20th year as a professional at the US Open, a tournament where he had already been a junior champion in 1990 and where he learned to grow up faster than other boys his age.
It was a process encouraged by his father Vece, a 1972 Olympic Games bronze medalist with the Indian hockey team.
"I was a young little Indian kid coming from Calcutta who was trying to see whether I could make it on the pro tour," Paes said after he and Stepanek had ended the calendar Grand Slam hopes of American brothers Bob and Mike Bryan. (Read more)
In a free-wheeling chat with NDTV, Leander Paes shares how he recovered from a seizure disorder in early 2000. Paes also thanks Mahesh Bhupathi for his success as a doubles player (Watch: Walk the talk with Leander Paes).