Leander has a field day

Leander Paes and Martin Damm stormed in the men8217;s doubles final with a straight-set victory over Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkows...

Leander Paes and Martin Damm stormed in the men8217;s doubles final with a straight-set victory over Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski of Poland at the Australian Open here today.

Paes also kept alive his hopes of another mixed doubles crown as he partnered French woman Nathalie Dechy to reach the semifinals but may once again run into his former partner-turned-foe Mahesh Bhupathi.

Bhupathi continued his romance with Swiss miss Martina Hingis to reach the last four stage from the other half of the draw.

The lone disappointment for the Indian fans on an exciting day at the year8217;s first Grand Slam though came from the juniors8217; section where Sanam Singh8217;s dream run in the boys8217; singles came to an end.

Paes and Damm ended the winning streak of the unseeded Fyrstenberg and Matkowski Byn outclassing them 6-2, 6-4 in a morning match. The Indo-Czech, however, have a tough task on hand as they face top seeds Bob and Mike Bryan of the US in the summit clash.

Paes then teamed up with Dechy to trounce Frantisekcermak of Czech Republic and Anna Lena Groenefeld of Germany 6-1, 7-6 7/4 in the quarterfinals. The Indo-French pair will be tested by sixth seeded Daniel Nestor of Canada and Elena Likhovtseva of Russia for an entry into the final.

Bhupathi and Hingis scored a thrilling 7-5, 7-6 7/5 victory over home pair Todd Perry and Rennae Stubbs. The duo will take on Paul Hanley and Samantha Stosur, in the other semifinals.

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Third seeded Sanam Singh was upset by Austen Childs of New Zealand 6-4, 3-6, 3-6 to end Indian challenge in the junior section at the Open.

Oz Open overview

	nbsp;	Frenchwoman in final: Day XI ended on a disappointing note for Kim Clijsters. The Belgian second seed was forced to withdraw after twisting her right ankle while facing break-point against Amelie Mauresmo in their semi-final clash. The French third seed was up, after the pair had split the opening sets 5-7, 6-2 before being handed a passage into the final 8211; her first Grand Slam final in seven years 8211; of the Australian Open. There she takes on eighth seed Justine Henin-Hardenne on Saturday. Lucky 13 for Henin: Tenacious Belgian Justine Henin-Hardenne came back from a set down to pull off a hard-fought 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 upset win over fourth seed Maria Sharapova in a riveting contest that lasted two hours and 26 minutes. The 2004 champion and eighth seed recorded her 13th straight win at the Melbourne Park and her 22nd straight win in Australia. Rebound ace: Marcos Baghdatis8217; 15th ace of the match was a special one. It gave him the game, set and semi-final tie against David Nalbandian in the marathon five-setter and a ticket to his first Grand Slam final. Indians at the Open: Leander Paes and Martin Damm moved into the men8217;s doubles title-round. Paes and Bhupathi also entered the semi-final of the mixed doubles event partnering Nathalie Dechy of France and Martina Hingis respectively. But Sanam Singh bowed out in the third round of the boys singles event losing in three sets. Thursday8217;s pick: Roger Federer has been made to toil and sweat on more occasions during this campaign this year than one can recollect in the recent past. And, the Swiss maestro is expecting another tough-ask in his semi-final against German Nicolas Kiefer, who would be first Grand Slam semis in 35 attempts. 8212; Anupama Bagri	nbsp;