Paes, Bhupathi script triumph

Bhupathi won in two tight tie-breaks 7-6 7, 7-6 6 while Paes lost just two games, toying with Kim Dong-Hyun with his serve, returns and some fabulous volleying. There were no question marks over Paes. All of them were on Bhupathi after yesterday8217;s horror show. Today, he was a changed man. He was in the match from the very first point and his trump card, the first serve, worked overtime. That meant he had to work that much less for his points and, more importantly, held on to his serve with a fair degree of comfort. It is another thing that he didn8217;t get a break point on the Korean8217;s serve, but what mattered was his level of confidence and the patience to set up the points.

However, the hero for India remained Sandeep Kirtane because had he not won the match against the Indonesians, the hot favourites would have been fighting for minor placings.

Now is the time for the World Doubles Championships at Hartford. The arduous task of battling the best doubles teams in the world should bring the best out of them. They have it in them to etch their names in the annals of the game for all time to come. Hartford beckons, so does history.

RESULTS

FINAL: India bt South Korea 3-0: Mahesh Bhupathi b Kim Nam-Hoon 7-6 7, 7-6 6; Leander Paes b Kim Dong-Hyun 6-2, 6-0; Doubles conceded. India:22,000; South Korea: 14,000.

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