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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Former Tennis Standout Advances To Quarterfinals At Olympics
8/17/2004 | Men's Tennis
Aug. 17, 2004
ATHENS, Greece - Former Ole Miss men's tennis star Mahesh Bhupathi and his partner Leander Paes of India, won a huge second set tiebreaker to take down the current No. 1 singles player and two-time defending Wimbledon Champion, Roger Federer and his teammate Yves Allegro of Switzerland in the second round of doubles at the Olympics, Tuesday. The pair have now posted wins over the current No. 1 and No. 2 players in the latest ATP singles rankings, as they defeated No. 2 Andy Roddick and his partner, Mardy Fish, in the opening round. Bhupathi and Paes won the first set against the Swiss duo, 6-2. The two teams battled back and forth to a tiebreaker where Bhupathi and Paes held on 9-7, inching closer to an Olympic medal. Bhupathi and Paes will face Wayne Black and Kevin Ullyett of Zimbabwe Wednesday, in the quarterfinal round. The pair teamed up again three weeks ago to get ready for the Olympics and won the Tennis Masters in Toronto for the second time. Together, the duo has won 23 titles, including the 1999 and 2001 French Open Championships and the 1999 Wimbledon. Bhupathi, who earned All-America and SEC Player of the Year honors as well as claiming the 1995 NCAA Doubles title for the Rebels, is competing for his native country, India, for the second time in the Olympics. Bhupathi and Paes reached the semifinals at the 2000 games in Sydney.
