The Hindu : Sport : Leander Paes and Cara Black win mixed doubles title

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Leander Paes and Cara Black win mixed doubles title

— PHOTO: AP

A SPECIAL WIN: First-time partners Leander Paes and Cara Black got their alliance off to a great start, winning the title here.

NEW YORK: India’s Leander Paes combined with Zimbabwe’s Cara Black to beat Britain’s Jamie Murray and American Liezel Huber 7-6(6), 6-4 in the mixed doubles final at the US Open on Thursday.

The 97-minute victory for the first-time Slam pairing follows mixed titles for Paes at the 1999 Wimbledon with American Lisa Raymond, and the 2003 Wimbledon and Australian Opens with US star Martina Navratilova.

“It was in the back of my mind that I hadn’t won this one,” Paes said.

“I woke up this morning with a purpose. I woke up really fired up.”

Paes, who lacks only an Australian Open title for a men’s doubles career Slam, had lost two prior US Open mixed finals, including last year’s 6-4, 7-6(6) defeat to Max Mirnyi and Victoria Azarenka of Belarus.

In 2001, Paes and Raymond fell 6-4, 5-7, 11-9 in the final to Australians Todd Woodbridge and Rennae Stubbs.

“The key part is selecting a good partner,” Paes said.

“I let Cara do all the work and I just stood back and enjoyed it.”

“It was tough for me to play against Liezel, but Leander was so good with me,” Black said.

“He calmed me a lot and said he had my back at all times.

“All thanks to Leander. He pulled me through.”

Murray, the elder brother of US Open singles semifinalist Andy Murray, won last year’s Wimbledon mixed doubles crown with Serbian Jelena Jankovic but lost to a Paes pair for the second US Open in a row, bowing in the 2007 semis.

“I was looking for a bit of revenge but it didn’t happen,” Murray said.

Closing it out

Paes and Black won six of the last seven points to take the first set, denying set points on a Black scoop volley winner and when Murray netted a forehand volley.

“She won the match for us,” Paes said.

Black fired a service winner to give herself and Paes a set point and the Indian star poached a backhand volley smash to win the set.

“It was amazing to pull that set out,” Black said. “It gave us a great lift.”

Paes and Black broke Murray in the fifth game of the second set, then held to the finish for the $150,000 top prize.

“It wasn’t a tough loss, they were just the better team,” Huber said. “They have so much experience and have won so many titles, so it was an honour to play them.” — Agencies

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