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The final Grand Slam of 2012 is nearly over and while there still may be a couple of months of tennis remaining, this was really the last big event for the players to rise and shine. Here’s our report card for India’s top tennis players at the US Open Tennis Championships 2012.
Grade A+ – Leander Paes and Sumit Nagal
Leander Paes may not be liked by fellow Indian players and the media may consider him arrogant. But you can’t argue with the fact that he is still India’s best doubles player. Paes reached his 15th men’s doubles final in a Grand Slam and although he and his partner Radek Stepanek were beaten by the Bryan brothers in the final in straight sets, Paes has been the best of the Big Three in Indian doubles in 2012. Paes/Stepanek have already won the Australian Open and Miami titles – and have assured themselves a spot in the ATP World Tour Finals in London. Hopefully, the results will spur Paes to one more full season. At 39, he still owns one of the quickest pair of hands in the game.
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For 15 year old Sumit Nagal, the US Open has been his coming out party. Nagal turned 15 just a few weeks ago and won two matches in qualifying for the junior boys singles event before going down to the no.8 seed in three sets in the first round of the main draw. Sumit is a protege of Mahesh Bhupathi who says, “It’s exciting for Indian tennis, I believe Sumit is the real deal and hope this is one of many stepping stones that will lead him to be a top player.”
Grade B – Sania Mirza
Playing with BFF Bethanie Mattek-Sands, Sania lived up to her seeding in the women’s doubles where the 13th seeded Indo-American duo were beaten in a tight three setter by Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci, who have reached the finals in New York and will become the world’s top team next week. The chemistry Sania shared with Elena Vesnina is still missing but hopefully with a few more events, the Mirza-Mattek Sands partnership will bear fruit. Sania also reached the quarter finals of the mixed doubles playing with little known Brit Colin Fleming. The Sania-Mahesh mixed doubles partnership was another victim of the Olympic selection squabble.
Grade C – Yuki Bhambri
The 20 year old Indian is currently ranked a career best no. 189 in the world. Bhambri won his first round match in qualifying – his first ever win in a Grand Slam event – before going down in the second round to Maxime Authom in three sets. If Bhambri continues the trajectory he has been on in the next few months, he should be headed to the top 100 soon.
Grade D – Somdev Devvarman and India’s junior girls
India’s former top ranked player won the first set of his comeback from shoulder surgery as he went down to top 100 player Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo in four sets. Somdev’s record is now 0-4 since his return and the Indian will need much more time to get his rhythm and consistency back. I’d be very surprised if Somdev manages to go past his 2011 peak ranking in his comeback.
Not much was expected from Indian junior girls Kanika Viadya and Lavanya Khanuja in the girls singles and both were beaten in the first round of qualifying in straight sets.
Grade F – Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna
The duo suffered a first round loss in the men’s doubles to the young Aussie pair of Matthew Ebden and Bernard Tomic. Although the Indians have won 2 titles as a team this year, their loss in New York was another early exit at the majors this year. Including the Olympics, Bhupathi and Bopanna’s record is only 4-5 this year. With Bhupathi unlikely to play for much longer, it’s time for Bopanna to take a step back and consider his options for 2013. Bopanna is only 31 which means he could have at least 2 more Olympics in him. The Coorgi might be tempted to go back to former partner Aisam Ul-Huq-Qureshi or perhaps lend Divij Sharan a hand on to top-level tennis.
The duo didn’t fare well in the mixed doubles either. Bopanna and Chinese partner Jie Zheng were beaten in the first round while Bhupathi’s partner Andrea Hlavackova pulled out of their second round mixed doubles tie.
That’s all for New York. We’ll be back with the next grades in January for the Australian Open which is only four months away!
