Leander Paes and Czech partner Lukas Dlouhy are just a step away from winning back-to-back French Open men’s doubles title after storming into the summit clash with a straight sets victory over Julian Knowle and Andy Ram here on Thursday.
The third seeded Indo-Czech duo defeated their 10th seeded opponents Knowle of Austria and Ram of Israel 6-4, 6-2 in a lop-sided semifinal which lasted 75 minutes.
If Paes and Dlouhy win the summit match against the second seeded duo of Daniel Nestor of Canada and Nenad Zimonjic of Serbia, it will be the fourth French Open men’s doubles title for the Indian.
Paes had earlier won the title in 1999 and 2001 (both with Mahesh Bhupathi) and then with Dlouhy in 2009.
With already six men’s doubles and five mixed doubles Grand Slam crowns in his pocket, if Paes wins the final he will become the Indian with the most Grand Slam triumphs with 12 — one more than former partner Bhupathi.
Paes and Cara Black, who won the Australian Open mixed doubles title earlier this yearare already out of the French Open after losing in the quarterfinals here.
Paes and Dlouhy made a rollicking start breaking their opponents’ serve in the first game and then held their own to surge 2-0 ahead. The defending champions then broke Knowle-Ram in the seventh game to go 5-2 up and wrapped up the first set 6-4 in 37 minutes. A set up, Paes and Dlouhy did not show any complacency and won five points in a row by breaking their opponents in the first, third and fifth games to go 5-0 up in the 2nd set. — PTI