India's Mahesh Bhupathi [Images] and Daniela Hantuchova [Images] of Slovakia won the mixed doubles title at the US Open [Images] on Thursday. They beat Katarina Srebotnik of Slovenia and Nenad Zimonjic of Serbia 6-4, 6-2 in the final.
The triumph gave Bhupathi his second mixed doubles title of the year, having won at Wimbledon [Images] in July partnering Mary Pierce of France [Images].
Bhupathi thus swelled his 'mixed' collection to five. He won his first in 1997 at the French Open with Rika Hiraki of Japan [Images], the second at the 1999 US Open with Ai Sugiyama, also of Japan, the third in 2002 at Wimbledon with Elena Likhovtseva of Russia [Images] and the fourth with Pierce earlier this year.
The victory gave Hantuchova the career Grand Slam in mixed doubles, as she had already won the Australian Open [Images], French Open and Wimbledon mixed crowns. The 22-year-old and 31-year-old Bhupathi will split the winners' check of $150,000, while Srebotnik and Zimonjic share $70,000.
Earlier, in the semi-finals, Bhupathi and the Slovakian had shocked sixth seeds Corina Morariu and Mike Bryan of the United States 7-6(7/4), 7-5, while Srebotnik and Zimonjic got the better of Israel's Andy Ram and Dinara Safina of Russia 6-1, 7-5.
Bhupathi's Grand Slam titles:
1997: French Open mixed doubles with Rika Hiraki of Japan
1999: French Open and Wimbledon men's doubles with Leander Paes [Images]
1999: US Open mixed doubles with Ai Sugiyama of Japan
2001: French Open men's doubles with Paes
2002: Wimbledon mixed doubles with Elena Likhovtseva of Russia
2002: US Open men's doubles with Max Mirnyi
2005: Wimbledon mixed doubles with Mary Pierce.
2005: US Open mixed doubles with Daniela Hantuchova.