Dubai Tennis Championship | Leander Paes, Jamie Cerretani falter in final

The Indo-American pair had a tricky task against Damir Džumhur and Filip Krajinović in the semi-final as the game was delayed for half-an-hour by rain. However, Paes showed patience and determination to end the game 6-4, 6-2 as they set up a final with defending champions Rojer and Horia.

For Rojer and Horia, this was their 17th ATP title as a pair and their chemistry was reflected in the ease by which they outclassed Paes and Cerretani on Saturday. Paes, ranked 52nd in the world now, had a brilliant tour in the finals until the final, but couldn’t capitalize on the momentum where it mattered the most.

This was Paes’ 28th season on pro-circuit as he is just shy of three finals of reaching a century of finals on the tour. The game went out of the Indo-American pair’s hand for their faulty second serves. While their opponents enjoyed a success rate of 76 percent, Paes and Cerretani could manage only 42 percent. 

Their poor day in the office was further worsened as they converted only one break point throughout the game, and that too in the second set that they had managed to stretch it to the tie-breaker, while the winners got eventually three breaks in the first set.