Continuing his winning streak from Wimbledon India’s doubles ace Leander Paes added another title to his kitty annexing the Swiss Open men’s doubles title with David Rikl.At Bastad, late Sunday night, Leander and his Czech Republic partner, top-seeded for the event put an end to No 4 seeded Czech team Frantisek Cermak and Leos Friedl 6-3, 6-3, who were playing their sixth final of ATP Tour this season. a win for the Czech duo would of given them their fourth career title. ‘‘Playing with David is a real treat. We enjoy every moment together, the matches, the practice, everything,’’ informed Paes to The Indian Express from Basad. For Rikl the win was important as he defended his title. Last year, Rikl won the title pairing up with Australia’s Joshua Eagle. Paes, fresh from his mixed doubles win, with Martina Navratilova, at Wimbledon, won his career’s 27th title. Both Paes and Rikl are running neck-to-neck in terms of ‘doubles’ title won’. Rikl win this victory took his tally to 28. Incidentally, this is the second title — after the Dubai Open — in three finals for Paes with Rikl.The Indo-Czech Republic duo shared Euro 26,800 for the title and importantly 200 entry points each (40 ATP doubles race points). Paes-Rikl took their team race points to 502 and thus inched them ahead of Indo-Belarussian pair of Mahesh Bhupathi and Max Mirnyi. Bhupathi-Mirnyi, who took the week off and did not figure in this tournament, have 496 points and upto No 3 position on the ATP Doubles Tour. It may be recalled that Paes-Rikl were displaced from the No 3 position after they went down in the men’s doubles at Wimbledon.Paes’ individual points tally is expected to also swell and in all likely hood will return into the Top-10 for the first time since MAy 2002.
