Leander Paes-Mahesh Bhupathi up against Bryan brothers, history

To put it simply, Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi are two sets away from completing a dream reunion. And to put it not so simply, they will be up against the Bryans, the most successful doubles pair ever.

The ‘Indian Express’ will be chasing quite a few firsts at Melbourne Park on Saturday. Neither Paes nor Bhupathi has won an Australian Open men’s doubles title so far. What’s more, victory will also help them complete the coveted ‘Career Slam’. And yes, Paes-Bhupathi have never met the Bryans in a Grand Slam final.

So you don’t want to miss this one.

On one side, we have Bob and Mike Bryan, who are chasing a hat-trick of titles in Melbourne. And on the other, there’s an Indian duo, fearless and fearsome as ever. “Chemistry-wise we are two of the best teams on the tour, and it is the perfect final at the Australian Open,” Bhupathi said.

While the Bryans have dropped just one set in the entire tournament, the Indian duo has lost three. Bhupathi and Paes had an eventful second-round encounter against Feliciano Lopez and Juan Monaco. Spaniard Lopez wasn’t too happy with Paes yelling “Vamos!” (meaning Come on! in Spanish) continuously.

“Many people were laughing when we decided to pair up again. And now we are in the final,” Paes said. Regardless of what happens in the final, Paes and Bhupathi will continue to smile. They would, however, prefer having a good laugh.