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Page last updated at 18:41 GMT, Friday, 10 September 2010 19:41 UK

Bob and Mike Bryan win US Open men's doubles title

Bob and Mike Bryan
Bob (left) and Mike Bryan celebrate their ninth Grand Slam title as a pair

Bob and Mike Bryan overcame India's Rohan Bopanna and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi of Pakistan to clinch the US Open men's doubles crown for a third time.

The top-seeded American twins won a close contest 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-4) before celebrating their ninth Grand Slam title with a trademark chest bump.

Bob Bryan, who also won the mixed, said it was the twins' best performance yet.

He said: "This has been the best two weeks of my life and that was the best match we've every played".

If that seemed quite a claim, given the formidable record of a pair contesting their 17th Grand Slam final, it was supported by the fact that there was not a single break of serve throughout.

606: DEBATE

Bopanna and Qureshi, nicknamed the IndoPak Express, fashioned four opportunities to break, but were unable to convert any of them.

The win, which follows victory in the Australian Open at the beginning of the year, leaves the Bryan brothers two Grand Slam titles short of the Open-era record of 11 wins, held by Australian duo Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde.

Mike Bryan said: "This year has been unbelievable, it's been a dream, and to win here in a magical atmosphere is the pinnacle. Where do we go from here?"

He also paid tribute to Bopanna and Qureshi, who have effectively become ambassadors of peace for India and Pakistan, neighbouring countries with a history of tension since partition in 1947.

"I want to congratulate these guys for all they're doing for world peace," said Bryan.

Under the banner 'Stop War, Start Tennis', Bopanna and Qureshi have proposed a cross-border singles match at Wagah, the only overland crossing point between India and Pakistan.

The idea is for Bopanna to play on the Pakistani side and Qureshi on the Indian, with the border doubling as a net.

"I want to say that every time I come here, I feel there is a very wrong perception about Pakistan being a terrorist country," said Qureshi, adding that his was a peace-loving nation.

Bopanna said: "It's been a great run for us. I'm really thankful to [Qureshi] for playing with me, it's been a fantastic week.

"Unfortunately we lost, but hopefully we can reach another final against the Bryans somewhere, and hopefully give them a better fight."

There was good news for Britain in the junior boy's doubles, where Oliver Golding partnered Jiri Vesely to a semi-final win over the Russian pair Victor Baluda and Alexander Rumyantsev.

The Briton and his Czech partner, who are seeded fourth, won 7-6 (8-6) 6-7 (6-8) 10-6. They will face the third seeds Duilio Beretta and Roberto Quiroz in Saturday's final.



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