US OPEN
Sep. 06, 2002

Bhupathi and Mirnyi, a Magical Doubles Duo

Mahesh Bhupathi and Max Mirnyi claimed the doubles title on Friday.

Mahesh Bhupahti and Max Mirnyi claimed their first Grand Slam title as a doubles team, outlasting Jiri Novak and Radek Stepanek 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 on Friday in the final.

This is Bhupathi's fourth Grand Slam doubles title, and Mirnyi's second.

But as a duo, the Indian and Belarussian are a relatively new team with a lot of chemistry and early success.
Having matched up for the first time early this year in Estoril, the pair teamed up eight other times since and have reached three previous finals before coming to New York.
Although the duo wound up as runner-ups in their previous final showings, the No. 3 seeds on Friday proved to be the mightier team against their Czech opponents.

Bhupathi, Mirnyi win men's doubles
September 6, 2002

NEW YORK (AP) -- Mahesh Bhupathi won his fourth Grand Slam men's doubles title, teaming with Max Mirnyi to beat Jiri Novak and Radek Stepanek 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 at the U.S. Open on Friday.

The winners took the final game when they broke Stepanek's serve at love. Mirnyi won the last point when his backhander from the baseline went off Novak's racket at the net.

"I think what makes us click is that we know we fight,'' Bhupathi said. "If we keep fighting, we always put a lot of pressure on our opponents.''

In the mixed doubles final, Lisa Raymond and Mike Bryan beat Katarina Srebotnik and Bob Bryan 7-6 (9), 7-6 (1). The Bryans are twins.

In a women's double semifinal, Elena Dementieva and Janette Husarova beat Cara Black and Elena Likhovtseva 7-5, 6-1. The winners play in the final against Virginia Ruano Pascual and Paola Suarez, who won Thursday.

Bhupathi, of India, and Mirnyi, of Belarus, have played just nine tournaments together and were seeded third.

Bhupathi teamed with countryman Leander Paes to win the French Open and Wimbledon in 1999 and the French Open in 2001. He also was runner- up with Paes at the U.S. Open in 1999. Mirnyi won the 2000 doubles title at the U.S. Open with Lleyton Hewitt.

Hewitt is now the top-seeded player in men's singles. Mirnyi, seeded 32nd in singles, lost to No. 6 Andre Agassi in the quarterfinals.

Bhupathi and Mirnyi went ahead 3-1 in the third set when they broke Novak's serve. But Novak and Stepanek, from the Czech Republic and seeded 11th, broke back with the help of a disputed call.

A shot that landed on the line was called out. Mirnyi, rushing toward it, let it go. The call was then overruled and Mirnyi argued that he let it go because he heard the out call. During the discussion with the umpire, he ate a banana.

"The linesman called it out, the umpire overruled, which we thought was a pretty ridiculous overrule,'' Bhupathi said. "I know that on replay it was out, but bad calls happen in tennis.''

Both teams held serve in the next four games before Stepanek couldn't get a point on his serve in the clinching game.

Bhupathi has 26 doubles titles in his career and five in 2002 with several partners.