Calcutta: Leander Paes looked to be in a hurry. May be he didn't want to be left out of the Indian party that was unfolding at the All England Club. With Sania Mirza having already won the women's doubles on Saturday, and the young Sumit Nagal keeping the flag flying in the boys' doubles in Sunday's final, the old warhorse of Indian tennis wanted to put his hand on his 16th Grand Slam title.
Coming to the party was Martina Hingis. The former world No. 1 was definitely enjoying her doubles stint with her Indian partners.
The Swiss did her job well enough with Sania on Saturday. And on Sunday, she played a perfect part in the mixed doubles title win, when she and Paes, the seventh seeds, won 6-1, 6-1, steamrolling over Austrian-Hungarian fifth seeds Alexander Peya and Timea Babos.
As the score suggested, it was really a walk in the park for Paes and Hingis. The Centre Court crowd saw a rather one-sided final. The chemistry between Paes and Hingis was evident, and they sizzled on court, scorching Peya and Babos in just 40 minutes.
Not once did it seem that the Indo-Swiss pair had any iota of trouble, and the ever-smiling Hingis seemed to be really enjoying herself. Paes, earning his 16th Grand Slam title (eight men's doubles and eight mixed doubles), played the aggressor's role perfectly. Frankly, their opponents were not even in with a chance.
The first set saw Paes and Hingis breaking Peya and Babos in the fourth and sixth games, taking the set at 6-1. In no time Paes and Hingis pocketed the first set, needing only 19 minutes, to nose ahead. Hingis served out the set when Paes send down a winning volley.
The second was smoother for them, as they broke in the very first game, and went on to consolidate on that with breaks in the third and seventh. Babos failed to hold her serve even once and it was on her return that Paes hit a deft backhand volley winner to close the contest.
The 42-year old Paes had tweeted before the match "Always got each other's back @mhingis.. playing my 33rd Grand Slam Final on Sunday @Wimbledon .. Going for #16," attaching a photograph of him embracing Hingis on the outdoor grass courts of the All England Club. That image was repeated, on Centre Court, and the smiles were perhaps wider.
It was Paes' eighth mixed doubles title and the second with Hingis. They had won the Australian Open earlier this year. For Hingis, it was her 18th Major title and third in mixed doubles.
Hingis was back on court less than 24 hours after her women's doubles win, but showed no sign of fatigue. She served well and was terrific at nets, complementing the Indian. They literally toyed with Peya and Babos, who failed to put any resistance.
After the win, Paes expressed how much the title meant to him and went on to add how great Hingis' achievement was. "To win at Wimbledon is really special. To do it back-to-back, to win two titles in that week, is something really special," he said. For Hingis, the chemistry with Paes was something that gave her the added edge in the match.
"The confidence that I had after winning the ladies' doubles on Saturday helped in my game today also. it was incredible. The chemistry we had on court - I know I can trust Leander 200 per cent. Leander is just a great person."
