Veteran tennis ace and partner Radek Stepanek win the US Open men's doubles final
Leander Paes and Radek Stepanek, the fourth-seeded India-Czech pairing, won the US Open men’s doubles title last night, their second major as a team and the Indian star’s third in New York.
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Paes and Stepanek beat Alexander Peya of Austria and Brazil’s Bruno Soares, the second seeds, 6-1, 6-3.u00a0The pair had also won the 2012 Australian Open. Paes, 40, had won the US Open title with Martin Damm in 2006 and Lukas Dlouhy in 2009.
Victory on Sunday was eased when Peya picked up a back injury and needed a medical time-out during the fourth game of theu00a0second set. He continued for the rest of the final but only at walking pace. Paes gave all credit for the win to his partner.
“A good place for anyone looking for a good doubles partner is the Czech Republic. They work hard, they play hard. We’ve had a tough start to the year, Radek’s had a lot of adversities through the year (back injury and surgery).
But he’s come back and persevered to stand at the winner’s box at the US Open. This trophy is for Richard Leach, the father of Rick Leach. You’re a real champion for supporting us. He’s one of the greatest coaches of all time.