Jan. 7: Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi made short work of Germany’s Phillip Marx and Great Britain’s Ken Skupski 6-4, 7-6(3) to storm into the semifinals of the ATP Chennai Open tennis tournament on Friday. Egged on by vociferous crowd, the Indian Express put up an entertaining show to remain on course for the title. The duo’s fifth title here would give their reunion a perfect start.
The Indian veterans kept their young opponents at bay throughout the 90-minute contest. Paes-Bhupathi won the first set, courtesy a well-compiled break in the fifth game after Paes’ stunning forehand top-spin lob. Paes, who recovered from a throat infection, also caught the eye with brilliant volleys at the net, while his partner Mahesh Bhupathi covered the backcourt like a blanket.