Indian veteran Leander Paes won his second Asian Games gold medal of the day
in the mixed doubles event with Sania Mirza at the Khalifa Tennis Courts in
Doha on Wednesday.
The Indian duo needed two hours and 20 minutes to combat off the Japanese
team of Satoshi Iwabuchi and Akiko Morigami in a thrilling three sets match 7-5,
5-7, 6-2.
Paes and Mirza started nervously and hit lots of unforced errors early in the
first set as the Japanese duo settled to take a 2-0 lead before the Indians
adjusted to the court and the conditions.
At 5-5, Paes' volley proved crucial in breaking Morigami's serve. Mirza hit a
great lob in the following game on her won serve while Paes added to the joy of
the Indian crowd with his fantastic reflexes. A missed return from Iwabuchi
handed the set to the Indians 7-5.
In the second set, the Japanese pair cruised to an early 3-0 lead. Iwabuchi
showed some brilliant skill at the net while Morigami produced some fine
returns. They then held on to win the set 7-5.
Paes and Mirza came out in the third set looking fierce and took control from
the start. The Indians won the first four games of the set before the Japanese
finally won a game. Paes hit the winning smash to secure the gold medal at 6-2.