Dupuis ends Indian challenge

Paes was aiming at logging the maximum points 8212; 70 8212; by winning the tournament but he fell 40 short, thus ruining his chances of cracking the 100, at least for the moment. In the end, the match boiled down to a double fault by Paes inthe first set tie-breaker and a poor third game of the second. Otherwise, it was a replay of the same scene, Dupuis8217; mighty serve and Paes8217; scramble to get his racquet to the ball.

The story of the Paris-based player8217;s life became all the more curious when he informed that the last time he played on grass was two years back in the qualifying at Wimbledon. He lost in the first round then, but here in just his second tournament on grass, he played a consistently fascinating spell of serve and volley for more than an hour to make a natural grass courter like Paes look very ordinary.

Paes is generally very quick. But the 333rd ranked Dupuis was not just quick, he was like lightning and if somebody had to catch the Indian a step slower on the volley he had to have some strength on his legs.

In a tournament where he had already claimed two seeds, the top seed was just another lamb to slaughter. Dupuis was the predator who feasted on his amazing 85 per cent first serve percentage and unbelievable volleys thatit seemed that he was lying when he said he has not played on grass for long.

There was not even a fleeting moment when it looked like Paes would take the match away. Dupuis8217; was simply unbeatable on the day when Paes won just six points on the Frenchman8217;s serve in the first set and nine in the second set, four of which came in the final 10th game of the match. Serving for a place in the final, Dupuis went down 15-40 after Paes had a forehand winner. He set up another break point with a forehand winner on Dupuis8217; second winner. But the two aces which followed settled the matter, or rather the agony for the Indian ace.

8220;He was in the zone,8221; Paes aptly summed up the match. 8220;I couldn8217;t get anywhere on his serve and he was acing me all over the place.8221; It was not as if Paes played badly. He played as well as the Frenchman allowed him to as there is nothing more disappointing to watch than a fumbling Paes on grass.

8220;Paes had better volleys than me but did not get much power on his return,8221; Dupuis said.8220;Even when I was down break points in the final game, I knew that he who was under much stress because I was much closer to victory while he was close to defeat.8221;

Paes survived an initial scare in the second game when he went a break point down but a Dupuis8217; return smashed into the net chord and sailed wide. In the tie-breaker the Frenchman did not lose a point on his serve and Paes double-faulted to give away a break at 2-3.

8220;If you had asked me in the beginning whether I would like to play Paes on grass I would have laughed it off. But after each match, I played better and after I entered my first Challenger semi-final it was a great thing for my spirit,8221; the Frenchman said.

Paes now flies to Monte Carlo for doubles and his next singles match would be sometime in May. 8220;I have a long summer ahead,8221; he rounded it off.