India’s Leander Paes won his 16th Grand Slam title on Sunday at Wimbledon when along with his partner Martina Hingis, he demolished the Austrian-Hungarian fifth-seeded combination of Alexander Peya and Timea Babos 6-1, 6-1 in mixed doubles final.
This is now 42-year-old Paes’ eighth mixed doubles major title, and his second with Martina Hingis, with whom he also won the Australian Open title this year.
India have had a rich haul at this year’s Wimbledon with Sumit Nagpal earlier winning the junior boys’ doubles title with his Vietnamese partner Nam Hoang Ly.
Before on Saturday, Sania Mirza had created history by becoming the first woman from India to win a major title in the seniors category at Wimbledon. Top-seeded Mirza and her Swiss partner Hingis beat Russia’s second-seeded pair of Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina 5-7, 7-6, 7-5 in the final of the women’s doubles.
Although Sania had won the girls’ doubles title at Wimbledon 12 years ago along with Russia’s Alisa Kleybanova, this is her first seniors title at the All-England Club.
Rohan Bopanna and his Hungarian partner Florin Mergea also had an impressive showing in the men’s doubles before bowing out in the semifinals. In the quarterfinals, they had taken out top seeds and 16-time Grand Slam men’s doubles champions Mike and Bob Bryan.