Leander Paes completed a ‘Career Slam’ in mixed doubles with Swiss partner Martina Hingis with a hard-fought win over compatriot Sania Mirza and Ivan Dodig, on Friday.
The unseeded Indo-Swiss pair eked out a 4-6 6-4 10-8 win over the second seeds in the summit clash that lasted one hour and 28 minutes.
Paes had won Australian Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open titles in 2015 with Hingis. It was 18th Grand Slam title for Paes and 10th in the mixed doubles.
For 35-year-old Hingis, it was Grand Slam title no. 22 and fifth trophy in the mixed doubles.
Despite being the oldest player on the court, Paes’ alertness and presence of mind made a good difference to the outcome of the match.
Playing with lot of passion, he put away volleys from ferocious returns of both Sania and Dodig and has staked claim to be in India’s mixed doubles team at the upcoming Rio Olympics.
