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Paes-Bhupati take Gold Flake Open

US Open champion Patrick Rafter of Australia, and high-flying Indian doubles duo Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupati, annexed the singles and doubles titles respectively at the Golf Flake Open ATP Tour tennis championship in Chennai.

While Rafter unsaddled defending champion Mikael Tillstrom of Sweden 6-3, 6-4 in 72 minutes, the world number three-ranked Indian duo, the defending champions, retained the crown they won last year, egged on by a roaring home crowd.

Interestingly, it was at this venue that the two first began their winning streak last year -- a streak they parlayed into a series of title triumphs all round the world, which saw them attain the highest ranking ever by an Indian pair.

As in the semifinal, the Indians lost the opening set 6-7 (7-5), before winning the next two 6-3, 6-2 against Max Mirnyi (Belarus) and Oliver Delaitre (France) in a match that lasted a little less than two hours.

Paes and Bhupati, seeded behind the Australian pair of Mark Woodforde and Todd Woodbridge here, ended up taking on the tournament's fourth seeds in the final.

The win was worth US $29,400, and 160 ATP points.

In the first set, the Indian duo was caught on the wrong foot as Delaitre and Mirnyi were up 2-1, breaking them in the second game. Leander and Bhupathy drew level at 3-3, dropped another game, then caught up again at 5-5. In the tie-break, the Indian pair served and returned poorly to go 5-0 down, before managing two points on Leander's serve (2-6) and another by breaking Mirnyi (3-6). However, the rival pair then shut the Indians out of the first set.

The Indians went 1-0 up on Leander's serve in the second set, then dropped a break point to allow their rivals to catch up. The pair, however, broke Mirnyi to lead 3-1, Bhupati then holding serve to take a 4-1 lead. From then on, they went with serve to take the set 6-3.

In the deciding third set, Leander and Bhupathy broke the Delaitre-Mirnyi combo in the third and fifth games to lead 4-1 and from that point on, never let the opposition get even a foot in the door as they shut out the game and recorded their second successive win in this particular tournament.