It was a record year for Indian tennis with Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis winning the women's doubles title, Leander Paes also teaming up with Hingis to win the mixed doubles and teenager Summit Nagal winning the boys doubles, India enjoyed a memorable Wimbledon earlier in this summer. The US Open extended that Indian summer and took the country's tally to a record five Grand Slams in 2015 – better than the haul of four in 1999. On Saturday last Paes scripted history by sealing US Open mixed doubles title with Hingis to become the most successful male player in the Open era and 24 hours later, Hingis and Sania won the women's double title.
Paes-Hingis win mixed doubles
Paes created history by winning the US Open mixed doubles title with Hingis and surpassed compatriot and former partner Mahesh Bhupathi’s record. The 42-year-old Paes now has won nine Grand Slam mixed doubles titles, against Bhupathi’s eight. The fourth seeded India-Swiss pair, edged past unseeded Americans Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Sam Querrey 6-4, 3-6, 10-7 in a tricky final to win their third major title together this season. Paes is now only behind legendary Martina Navratilova, who won 10 mixed doubles trophies. Of those 10, two came with Paes, when they won Australian Open and Wimbledon in 2003. With this win, Paes and Hingis, who also won Australian Open and Wimbledon titles early this season, have become the first mixed doubles team since 1969 to win three Grand Slam mixed doubles titles in the same year.
It was Paes’ 17th Grand Slam title overall and Hingis’ 19th. Hingis has won four Grand Slam titles and all of them have come with Indians. She won her first mixed doubles trophy with Bhupathi when they won 2006 Australian Open.
Sania-Hingis coast to victory in style
Sania and Hingis combined power with some sharp play, to clean out the Kazakh-Aussie combine of Yaroslava Shvedova and Casey Dellacqua and clinch their maiden US Open women's doubles title on Sunday. The top-seeds from India and Switzerland, claimed their second successive Grand Slam crown, after triumphing in Wimbledon in July, winning 6-3, 6-3 in 70 minutes against the fourth seeds. The champions, the world no.1 pairing pocketed $570,000 for their effort. The runners-up settled for $275,000.
Hingis said, “From the start we hit it off as a team, our games compliment each other, so do our personalities. For me this is a bonus, I want to thank Sania and everyone, I wouldn`t be here without you.” Sania said it felt good to back up the team's Wimbledon win with the title in Flushing Meadows. “It's been a great season, getting to No.1 and now these two Slams, we are a tough team. Now we expect to win, never mind the expectations.”
Djokovic beats Federer
Novak Djokovic clinched his third Grand Slam title of 2015 and 10th career major with a 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 triumph over favourite Roger Federer in the US Open final on Sunday. Shrugging off a three-hour rain delay and the overwhelming hostility of the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd, the 28-year-old world number one captured his second title in New York to add to his 2011 triumph.
The defeat shattered 34-year-old Federer's bid to become the oldest US Open champion in 45 years and left him marooned on 17 Grand Slam titles, the last of which came at Wimbledon in 2012.
Had it not been for a heartbreaking loss to Stan Wawrinka in the French Open final in June, the Serb would have been celebrating a rare calendar Grand Slam.
Djokovic's 10 majors takes him level with American Bill Tilden and just one shy of Bjorn Borg and Rod Laver on the all-time list. Gallant Federer was ultimately undone by 54 unforced errors and his ability to convert just four of 23 break points. With the likes of Robert Redford, Sean Connery and David Beckham watching, and with Eva Asderaki-Moore making history as the first woman to umpire the men's singles final at the US Open, Djokovic was dialled in from the start despite heavy rain forcing a three-hour delay and an evening start.
Pennetta retires after winning title
Flavia Pennetta became the second Italian woman to win a Grand Slam title, edging Fed Cup teammate Roberta Vinci 7-6 (4), 6-2 on Saturday in the US Open final. After a long embrace with Vinci at the net, Pennetta sprinted to her box, thanked her coaches and kissed fiancée Fabio Fognini, who flew back from Italy to be at the match. At the trophy presentation, Pennetta floored the sellout crowd by announcing she plans to retire at the end of the year.
"Before I started this tournament one month ago, I took a big decision in my life. This is the way I would like to say goodbye to tennis," she said. Pennetta said she will play tournaments in Beijing and Wuhan, China. If she qualifies, she would also play in the WTA year-end event in Singapore. "But for sure this one was the last New York for me," she said. "For sure."
Pennetta's success was reminiscent of Italian Francesca Schiavone's unexpected title at Roland Garros five years ago. It was the only Grand Slam singles title of her career - on the cusp of her 30th birthday.
