Leander Paes late Sunday night took yet another step in his quest to be the undisputed numero uno in Indian tennis. Barely three weeks after capturing the season’s maiden title at Rotterdam, the 33-year-old added Indian Wells — Pacific Life Open — to his list. While the title was Paes’ 38th, it also meant one step closer to erstwhile partner Mahesh Bhupathi’s current record of 39.The pair will remember this 6-4, 6-4 win over sixth-seeded Israeli pair Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram for long because it won for them an ATP Masters Series title — something that had eluded the duo ever since they coming together in 2006. Indian Wells was Paes’ seventh Masters Series title (see box), while for his Czech Republic partner it comes after five years. He won the title in Rome way back in 2002.The victory was even more significant for Paes and Damm as the pair move into second place on the ATP Doubles ladder. As per the rankings released on Monday, they trail the Bryan brothers by 17 points, while Daniel Nestor and Mark Knowles are at the third spot with 27 points.With two titles from three finals, including Doha, under their belt this year, the duo improved its finals win-loss record to 4-2. “We’ve sure been having a nice time and as I’ve said before, it’s all about on-court understanding that brings in the results,” Paes told The Indian Express from Indian Wells.On closing in on Bhupathi’s record, Paes was at his optimist best. “Look, once on court all these aspects do not come into play. Yes, once off it, any win is a nice feeling.” “It is a matter of enjoying oneself — it’s a job that’s 50 per cent achieved.”Meanwhile, the four-week layoff due to a knee injury has seen Sania Mirza drop two spots to 47th in the latest WTA rankings today. Sania, who is under rehabilitation to recuperate from an Anterior Cruciate Ligament injury, has 504 ranking points. The Indian ace picked up the injury during the Doha Open two weeks ago.The lay-off has also led to a drop in Sania’s doubles rankings and the 20-year-old has slipped five places to 31st in the list with 1074 ranking points.Among other Indians in the singles’ list, the US-based Shikha Uberoi (107.75) is the next highest placed at 240th spot, which is an improvement of two rungs.Veteran Rushmi Chakravarthi remained steady at 394th with 46.25 points, while Ankita Bhambri (39) was up four spots to 441st this week.
