Second straight title for Mahesh Bhupathi

Winning four matches in straight sets to win his second tournament on the trot, doubles specialist Mahesh Bhupathi showed he's still a force to contend with on the tennis court.

Bhupathi partnered Mark Knowles of the Bahamas to beat third-seeded Czechs Martin Damm and Pavel Vizner 7-5, 7-6(7) in the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships final on Saturday.

The victory got Bhupathi his 43rd career doubles crown and a share in the $89,500 prize money for the winning pair, who had also triumphed in Memphis last week.

Bhupathi is ranked 18 on the weekly ATP ranking list and is expected to move up when the new rankings are released on Monday. As a pair, Bhupathi and Knowles are currently placed second in the ATP Doubles Race.

"It's no secret. Obviously our games compliment each other. I enjoy playing on the advantage court. Both of us are pretty hungry to win. Me personally, I haven't had a full-time partner for about two years now so the opportunity to play with someone as good as Mark is exciting for me and I have been working pretty hard," Bhupathi said after the final.

"We've been friends for 15 years even though we haven't played together, everything matches and we're looking forward to carrying on the form," he said.

Bhupathi has won the Dubai title twice before - with Leander Paes (1998) and Fabrice Santoro (2004).

After an ominous 2008 debut in Sydney, where they bowed out in their opening match, Bhupathi and Knowles had reached the semifinals of the Australian Open in January and the quarterfinals at San Jose last month. They are now 13-3 for the year, having won their last eight matches in straight sets.

Mahesh Bhupathi triumphs in Memphis

Sydney was a nightmare, Melbourne was good, San Jose was okay but it was Memphis which proved lucky for Mahesh Bhupathi and Mark Knowles. The top seeds prevailed in the doubles event at the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships in the US city, grabbing their first title as a pair - that too without losing a set in four matches.

In the final, Bhupathi and Knowles proved too good for Thai twins Sanchai and Sonchat Ratiwatana, triumphing 7-6(5), 6-2 in one hour and 16 minutes.

After an ominous 2008 debut in Sydney, where they bowed out in their opening match, Bhupathi and Knowles had reached the semifinals of the Australian Open in January and the quarterfinals at San Jose last month.

Sunday's victory added $23,500 to Bhupathi's wallet and saw him move one rung up to 18 on the weekly ATP ranking list. As a pair, Bhupathi and Knowles are now placed second in the ATP Doubles Race.

"We have started real well and (are) looking to continue with our form," the 33-year-old Indian told the Indian Tennis Blog.

Memphis was doubles title no. 42 in Bhupathi's career and the strapping south Indian now heads for the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships to compete with Knowles in a doubles draw that includes fellow Indians Leander Paes (with Paul Hanley) and Rohan Bopanna (with Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi).
(Pic: ATP site)