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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Former Rebel Netter Wins Ninth Grand Slam Title
9/8/2005 | Men's Tennis
Sept. 8, 2005
FLUSHING MEADOWS, N.Y. - Former Ole Miss men's tennis standout Mahesh Bhupathi won his ninth grand slam title Thursday, teaming up with Daniela Hantuchova to capture the Mixed Doubles Championship at the U.S. Open.
The unseeded duo, playing together for the first time, survived match points in their opening round match, winning in a third-set tiebreaker. They would not need a third set Thursday, as they dominated their final round opponents, Katarina Srebotnik and Nenad Zimonjic 6-4, 6-2.
Thursday's title match stayed close until Hantuchova-Bhuphati broke serve to take a 4-3 lead in the first set. The match was quickly wrapped up in just an hour.
Up 4-2 in the final set, Bhupathi-Hantuchova broke to go up 5-2. With a two break cushion, they found themselves down 0-40 on Hantuchova's serve. Led by Bhupathi's stellar play at the net, the duo won four straight points to get to match point. On the final point, Bhupathi slammed one down the middle for the win.
After escaping their first round match against Tiantian Sun and Simon Aspelin, Bhupathi and Hantuchova defeated the No. 4 seeds in straight sets and then proceeded to upset the No. 5 seeds in the quarterfinal round.
"The fact that we fought hard and came out of that (first round match), we knew we were a good team," Bhupathi said. "Winning matches like that is what makes it special. We had a very tough draw.
"I've played against her (Hantuchova) so many times in mixed doubles and lost every time. I've been trying to play with her for a long time and it finally worked out."
One of the top doubles' players on the ATP circuit, the U.S. Open Championship marks Bhupathi's second grand slam title in 2005. He teamed with Mary Pierce to capture the mixed doubles at Wimbledon. The win also gave Bhupathi, 31, his second title at the U.S. Open, as he won the doubles championship in 2002.
While at Ole Miss, Bhupathi led the Rebels to the NCAA team finals. He became the first Rebel tennis player to win an NCAA title when he teamed with Ali Hamadeh to capture the Doubles Championship in 1995 and ended the year as the No. 1 doubles team in the nation. In addition, Bhupathi was an All-American, 1995 SEC Singles Champion and SEC Player of the Year.