Leander Paes loses in finals of US Open

Ten reasons why Leander Paes will be kicking himself for his 2-6, 4-6 defeat in the mixed doubles final with partner Cara Black against first-time pair of Travis Parrott and Carly Guillickson

Ten reasons why Leander Paes will be kicking himself for his 2-6, 4-6 defeat in the mixed doubles final with partner Cara Black against first-time pair of Travis Parrott and Carly Guillickson

'Second seeded Paes-Black were defending champions and favourites to win as they were the best seeds left in the fray.

Two cold! India's Leander Paes and Zimbabwean Cara Black (left) during their US Open mixed doubles final against Americans Travis Parrott and Carly Guillickson at Flushing Meadows in New York yesterday. pics/afp

'Parrott and Guillickson are no big names in the tennis world. In fact, they were wild card entrants here.

'The American pair came together after Parrott called up compatriot Abigail Spears to partner him, but she recommended Guillickson. Parrott texted Guillickson only two days before the tournament and she agreed to play with him.

'Normally in mixed doubles, it's the male partner who tends to dominate proceedings. However, Paes-Black will not question Parrott's judgement in hailing Guillickson as the most valuable player on court yesterday for her power-packed shots.

'The Indo-Zimbabwean pair had no answer to the Americans' powerplay. Parrott-Guillickson served five aces in comparison to Paes-Black's two.

'Paes and Black were guilty of committing as many as eight unforced errors, while Parrott-Guillickson made just two.

'Victory here would have given Paes a lot of confidence going into tonight's men's doubles final with Czech partner Lukas Dlouhy against India's Mahesh Bhupathi and Mark Knowles of the Bahamas.

'Guillickson-Parrott were nearly ousted early in the tournament when they faced two match points against Nadia Petrova and Max Mirnyi in Round One.

'Paes (turned pro in 1991) and Black (in 1998) have heaps of experience as
compared to Parrott and Guillickson, both of whom turned professional only in 2003.

'The coveted 10th Grand Slam title still eludes Paes who has now lost five out of 10 men's doubles finals and four out of eight mixed doubles finals at the Slams. These stats though will change today.