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Bhupati-Paes pair seeded at the US Open

The Indian Davis Cup pair of Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupati, now ranked eighth in world doubles following their recent outstanding displays, have been seeded 10th at the US Open which got underway at Flushing Meadows this Monday.

In recent times, the duo have done brilliantly on the world stage, with a string of stirring encounters. The highlight of course was a tremendous battle against Mark Woodforde and Todd Woodbridge, the world's number one pair, in the quarterfinal of the ATP Super 9 series event in Cincinnati.

Earlier, there was a triumph - which in fact came in the final of the Montreal event - against the higher ranked Sebastian Lareau-Alex O'Brien pairing (who, in fact, went under twice in recent times to the Indian duo). And the icing on the cake of course came when they outclassed the world's number two duo of Paul Haarhuis and Jacco Eltingh in the semifinal of the Pilot Pen International tournament at New Haven, before going on to actually win the title.

The Indian pair, say cognoscenti, are well teamed. Bhupati is the heavier of the two and the harder hitter of a tennis ball, while Leander, lighter in weight and fleeter of foot, is the speedier player, with an ability to intercept at the net that gives the pairing that extra edge.

Doing well in the US Open is a goal enough in itself, but what will give the Paes-Bhupati combine the added spur is their desire to make it to the World Doubles Championship to be played at Hartford, Connecticut, from November 10.