Paes-Hingis win Australian Open mixed-doubles title

This is Leander Paes' seventh mixed-doubles crown.

Martina Hingis of Switzerland, left, and Leander Paes of India pose with the trophy after winning the mixed doubles final at the Australian Open in Melbourne.

India's Leander Paes and Swiss Martina Hingis turned back the clock to post a sensational win in the Australian Open mixed-doubles final and improve their respective Grand Slam count to 15, in Melbourne on Sunday.

The seventh seed Indo-Swiss pair played powerful tennis to serve past third seeds Daniel Nestor and Kristina Mladenovic 6-4, 6-3 in the 62-minute battle at the Rod Laver Arena.

While the 41-year-old Paes clinched his seventh mixed doubles crown, Hingis, who came out of retirement for the second time a couple of years back, collected her tenth doubles Slam apart from her five singles titles.

Paes and Hingis broke the Canadian-French pair of Nestor and Kristina once in the first set and twice in the second to put up an entertaining display.

Paes, a veteran doubles specialist, joined forces with the 34-year-old Hingis last year only to come up with a Slam title in quick time.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Paes on Twitter.

Leander Paes continues to make us proud! I congratulate him on the Mixed Doubles win with Martina Hingis at the Australian Open. >@Leander

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) >February 1, 2015

Hingis, who burst into the scene in 1995, thanked her idol and legend Martina Navratilova for suggesting Paes as her mixed-doubles partner.

“I am thankful to Martina (Navratilova) for getting me partner Paes. It’s incredible to be playing on the surface that I made my debut in 1995. I never imagined that 20 year’s down-the-line I would be still be playing here,” said an excited Hingis — winner of three singles Australian Open titles.

Navratilovia, who also partnered Paes to clinch the Australian Open and Wimbledon mixed—doubles crown in 2003, was in the stands to watch the tennis veterans play.

President, Prime Minister congratulate Leander Paes

PTI adds

President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday congratulated tennis ace Leander Paes for winning the Australian Open mixed doubles crown with Switzerland’s Martina Hingis.

Both PM and President took to twitter to praise Paes, who won his 15th career Grand Slam title in Melbourne. “Leander Paes continues to make us proud! I congratulate him on the Mixed Doubles win with Martina Hingis at the Australian Open,” there was a tweet from PMO.

“Congratulations to Leander Paes on the Mixed Doubles win at the Australian Open# PresidentMukherjee” read President Mukherjee’s tweet.