Leander Paes and Zimbabwean partner Cara Black celebrate their win over Liezel Huber of the US and Briton Jamie Murray in the mixed doubles final at Flushing Meadows on Thursday. (AP)

New York: Thirty five-year-old Leander Paes won his eighth Grand Slam title on Thursday, winning the US Open mixed doubles title at Flushing Meadows.

Leander and his Zimbabwean partner Cara Black won the summit clash 7-6 (8-6), 6-4, beating Jamie Murray and Liezel Huber in an hour and 37 minutes. The fifth-seeded pair were not broken even once.

The first set was an extremely closely fought affair, lasting 52 minutes before Leander and Cara showed their experience in fighting back strongly in the tie-breaker to clinch the set.

Murray and Huber, who had reached the US Open semi-finals last year, were up 5-2 at one stage in the tie breaker, but Leander sent down two big serves. The Indo-Zimbabwean duo saved two set points before Black showed some incredible net play to clinch the set 7-6 (8-6).

There was no looking back for Leander and Cara after that.

They broke their opponents in the fifth game of the second set. The duo did well to nullify Murray’s big serves by winning a majority of their receiving points.

Leander carried Wednesday’s good form into the match when he and doubles partner Lukas Dlouhy had won their semi-final tie in quick time. Leander’s net play and volleying was once again top class on Thursday.

The Indian served out the match in the tenth game of the second set, after Murray netted a return from close range, setting the Indo-Zimbabwean pair up on two championship points.

Speaking after the match, Huber said: “They were the better team and deserved to win today.”

A grinning Leander attributed the victory to his partner, saying: “The key in doubles is to find a good partner”. Black, too, was all praise for her partner: “Credit to Leander, he pulled me through.”

Leander is now on course to repeat his feat of winning both the mixed doubles and the doubles title in a Grand Slam tournament, which he had achieved nine years ago in Wimbledon 1999.

Recalling the feat, Leander had quipped before Thursday’s match: “I was much younger back then. As you get older, you push your body to new limits and try to raise the bar a few more times. But I think 2008 New York is going to be special.”

He will be looking to win the men’s doubles title on Friday when he and Dlouhy play American twins, Bob and Mike Bryan.

Paes was particularly happy with the show against the Argentines in the doubles semi-final and said, “when you finish a semi-final of a Grand Slam in 46 minutes, you’re always happy.

It was one of the fastest matches I had in my career. The balls looked like watermelons out there.”

Though he cherishes all his Grand Slam titles, Paes insisted the highlight of his career is the bronze medal he won in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

“Nothing will ever better my Olympic medal,” he said.

“Let me remind you it was in singles. That’s the epitome of my career,” Paes added.