Bhupathi hoping to meet old partner in final in Mumbai ATP doubles

Mumbai, Sep 19 (UNI) Mahesh Bhptahi, fresh from an ATP doubles win in China open with new partner Mario Ancic today said he is hoping to clash with his old partner and countrymate Leander Paes in the final at the USD 3,80,000 dollar Kingfisher Mumbai Tennis Open which begins at the CCI here from September 25.

The country's two top players, who were nicknamed the 'Indian Express' when they were at the peak in combination on the ATP doubles circuit, are currently playing with different partners and may end up on opposite sides of the net in the tennis tournament here.

Paes and his Czech partner Martin Damm are the reigning US Open Champions following their triumphant run in this year's last Grand Slam event in New York while 32-year-old Bhupathi partnered young Croatian Mario Ancic for the first time at Beijing last week and won the China Open doubles crown.

''We (Bhupathi and Ancic) may not be seeded and I am hoping that the two teams (Bhupathi-Ancic and Paes-Damm) are in different half's of the draw so that we would stand a chance to meet in the final,'' said Bhupathi at a press conference held to announce a new associate sponsor - Aviva Life Insurance - for the Mumbai ATP event.

Bhupathi also said that he has just joined hands with Ancic, but he is not sure how long their partnership would sustain as his new 22-year-old partner Ancic is likely to concentrate on his singles career more.

The Bangalorean also refused to draw any comparisons of his partnership with Ancic with that of Paes, saying that it is only recently that they joined hands and therefore tough to compare. ''We have just come together (as doubles partners). He (Ancic) is a great player, a top ten player in singles (Ancic is currently ranked 11th),'' Bhupathi added.

Bhupathi when asked about Sania partnering Leander Paes at the Doha Asian Games, he said that it was a personal choice and he has no problems with it. Sania is managed by Bhupathi's company Globosport.

Sania had recently stated that it was the tennis federation who had send the pairings and they had no choice in them.

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