Bhupathi wins to make it all square

Indian tennis’s most famous doubles pair faced off against each other for the sixth time yesterday in the final of the Dubai Open. And Mahesh Bhupathi, with a 2-3 career record against Leander Paes, managed to square accounts, teaming up with Fabrice Santoro to beat the Kolkatan and Jonas Bjorkmann 6-2, 4-6, 6-4. Statistically, each of the five previous meetings had gone down to the wire —‘‘our match-ups have always been competitive’’, Bhupathi once said. This time Leander, playing his first ATP Tour round, was the defending champion but Bhupathi and Santoro prevailed . This gave Mahesh his second title in four tournaments this year, his seventh in the past 12 months and his 33rd overall. Apart from the $59,450 prize money that he and Santoro won, victory was worth 300 points in the ATP Doubles Race.

For Leander, runners-up in the mixed doubles event at the Australian Open, the loss was his second in 13 singles/doubles matches since he came back to court after a five-month lay off due to a brain lesion. Asked by this reporter recently what it felt like to lose Bhupathi, Leander had replied: ‘‘It’s a game. Winning or losing is part of it.’’

HESH & LEE HISTORY
* Indianapolis ’99: (Rd-II) Paes/Oliver Delaitre d Bhupathi/Andrei Pavel 6-4, 2-6, 6-3

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* Hamburg Masters ’02: (Rd-II) Bhupathi/Jan-Michael Gambill d Paes/Cibulec 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (5)

* Indian Wells Masters ’03: (Rd-II) Paes/David Rikl d Bhupathi/Tim Henman 6-2, 3-6, 6-2

* French Open ’03: (Q/F) Paes/Rikl d Bhupathi/Max Mirnyi 3-6, 7-5, 6-3

* Wimbledon ’03: (S/F) Bhupathi/Mirnyi d Paes/Rikl 6-7 (6), 6-4, 7-6 (7), 6-3

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* Dubai Open ’04: (F) Bhupathi/Fabrice Santoro d Paes/Jonas Bjorkman