Leander Paes yet again proved to be India's lone flag bearer at the Australian Open. He notched up comfortable wins in the Doubles and Mixed Doubles categories. Chirag Mansukhani scribbles on iSport.
India’s only remaining hope in the 2010 Australian Open, Leander Paes did not disappoint as he stormed into the quarter finals of both the doubles and mixed doubles events.
Earlier in the tournament Mahesh Bhupathi lost his doubles match and withdrew from the mixed doubles with Sania Mirza due to injury. Sania Mirza also bowed out in the singles and doubles earlier this week.
Paes, however provided India with some hope as he and partner Lukas Dlouhy stormed into the men’s doubles quarter finals with a victory over the Americans Sam Querrey and John Isner 6-3 7-5. However, it was just the beginning of another day at the office for Leander.
He returned a few hours later with mixed doubles partner Cara Black of Zimbabwe and made light work of their opponents Akgul Amanmuradova and Rik De Voest dispatching them 6-4 6-2. It was all in a days work for Paes as he wrapped up the match in fine fashion.
Paes has previously won the Australian Open mixed doubles with Martina Navratilova in 2003 and has finished runners-up twice in the men’s doubles event in 1999 along with Mahesh Bhupathi and in 2006 with Martin Damm.
More recently, Paes won the 2009 U.S. Open men’s doubles with partner Lukas Dlouhy and was runners up in the mixed doubles event with Cara Black .We hope he can go one better and do a double whammy at this year’s Australian Open. After all, he’s carrying an entire nation’s hopes on his shoulders.
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