Paes wins US Open mixed title with Hingis
What's the story
Leander Paes won his 17th Grand Slam title at the US Open with Martina Hingis, in the mixed doubles category. The fourth seeded India-Swiss pair, beat unseeded Americans Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Sam Querrey 6-4, 3-6, 10-7 in the tricky final to win their third major title this season. Paes now has nine Grand Slam mixed doubles titles and a second at the US Open.
Bio
Leander's rise to fame
Leander Adrian Paes was born and raised in Calcutta. Paes earned international fame when he won the 1990 Wimbledon Junior title and rose to No. 1 in the junior world rankings. Paes won the singles Olympic bronze medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics which won him the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award, the highest sporting honor by the government of India.
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When Paes beat Sampras
One of Leander Paes' biggest singles results in the ATP tour came when he beat the former world No.1 Pete Sampras 6-3, 6-4 at the New Haven ATP tournament in 1998.
Paes-Bhupathi
Partnership with Mahesh Bhupathi
From 1996, Leander Paes partnered with Mahesh Bhupathi and went on to become oneof the top doubles players in the 1990s and 2000s. Paes-Bhupathi won three doubles titles together - 1999 French Open and Wimbledon; 2001 French Open. In 1999, the duo reached the finals of all four Grand Slams, the first time such a feat had been achieved in the open era.
Doubles
Paes' doubles success sans Bhupathi
Personal problem with Bhupathi led to disintegration of Paes- Bhupathi partnership. Without Bhupathi, Paes continued his doubles success, winning five additional Grand Slam titles with a series of Czech partners. He won the 2006 US Open with Martin Damm; the 2009 French and U.S. Open with Lukas Dlouhy; and the 2012 Australian Open and the 2013 U.S. Open with Radek Stepanek.
Personal
Olympic appearances
In 2000, Paes was given the honour of carrying the Indian Flag at the opening ceremony of the Sydney Olympics. Paes is also the only tennis player to have competed at six Olympic games between 1992 and 2012.
Mixed Doubles
Success in Mixed Doubles
In mixed doubles, Leander Paes won a total of 9 Grand Slam championships. He won the 1999 Wimbledon with Lisa Raymond; 2003 Australian Open and Wimbledon with Martina Navratilova; 2008 US Open, 2010 Australian Open and Wimbledon with Cara Black; and 2015 Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open with Matina Hingis. Paes has teamed with 24 different partners in Grand Slam Mixed Doubles.
Awards
Awards & recognition
Paes was honored with Arjuna Award in 1990. He and Bhupathi won the the Padma Shri award in 2001. He was bestowed with Padma Bhushan, the 3rd highest civilian award in 2014 for his outstanding contribution to tennis in India. Paes is the sports ambassador of the Indian state of Haryana. He is also the oldest man to have won a Grand Slam title.
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Career Grand Slam for Paes
By winning all the four Grand Slams in men's doubles, Leander Paes holds the prestigious Career Grand Slam.