US Open 2013: Paes-Stepanek reach finals as the Bryan brothers are finally defeated

At the beginning of the third set, Bob was up 40-15 on his serve, but a brilliant backhand return winner from Paes and another backhand winner from Stepanek opened the game up a little at deuce. The Bryans, though, combined well at the net to win the next two points to get in front 1-0.

At 15-30 on the Mike serve, Paes and Stepanek rushed the Bryans at the net to earn double break point. The Indian wasted the first with a lengthy lob and a big service winner helped the Bryans save the second. There was a third opportunity and this time, Paes poached one at the net only to sail a backhand long.

Power play from the baseline worked as Bob volleyed long in response to offer a fourth break point. Another round of power hitting, this time from the net, helped the Indo-Czech duo seal the break. Paes held to love in the next game to give the match an entirely different colour at 3-1 in the decider.

The decisive break, considering it was the second in the set, came in the fifth game. It was Bob Bryan who fell to 0-40 with an insipid run of points. Even though the first break point was saved with a powerful serve, a backhand volley from Stepanek on the next point just wide of Mike’s racket helped seal a 4-1 lead.

The match took another twist when the Bryans played with renewed urgency in the sixth game. This time, they attacked the Stepanek serve to earn three break points. Sensing the danger of a Bryan comeback, Stepanek served much better to save all three of them.

On the next point, Stepanek was called out for a double fault but a challenge showed that the ball clipped the line to keep the game at deuce. Suddenly Stepanek discovered a couple of service winners to survive what appeared to be an imminent break, and inch closer to victory.

When it fell to Leander to close out the victory, the Indian promptly lost the first two points off his serve. An ace and a forehand volley winner helped the team back into the game. A well timed lob with both Paes and Stepanek plugged at the net gave the Americans a break point to stay in the match.

A flubbed backhand volley from Leander then gave the Bryans a second opportunity to break and this time they took it with a powerful return to the feet of Leander which forced the error to clinch the break and keep the match alive at 5-2.

Paes found a typically magical moment to strike a forehand winner, splitting the Bryans even with the ball behind his body to get to 30-30 in the eighth game. But Bob Bryan held his serve from there without too much difficulty and it fell upon Stepanek to serve out the match yet again, and this time the margin was thin at 5-4.

The Czech player started with a second serve ace down the middle and away from Bob to start what was to be the final game. A powerful forehand volley between the Bryans gave Leander and Stepanek three match points. They needed just one, with Mike landing the ball in the net to end the match.

The defeat denied the Bryans an opportunity to complete the calendar Grand Slam as they fell two steps short of history.

Now the fourth seeded Indo-Czech duo are one victory from completing an unlikely return to top level doubles, so quickly after a spinal surgery took Stepanek off the court for many months. In the finals, Paes and Stepanek await the winners of the match between the second seeded duo of Alexander Peya and Bruno Soares and the tenth seeds, Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo.