Paes-Damm stumble in semis in Cincinnati

Cincinnati, Aug 19 (UNI) Leander Paes and his Czech partner Martin lost to top seeds Bob and Mike Byran of United States in the semi-finals of the 2,450,000 dollar Western and Southern Financial Group Masters here.

The fourth seeded Indo-Czech duo, who reached the last four stage after Aussie-Zimbabwean combo of Paul Hanley and Kevin Ullyett retired hurt, squandered a first set advantage to go down 6-3, 0-6, 7-10 in a 58-minute contest.

Paes-Damm began with a bang, wining their service with ease while putting pressure to their opponents' serve. They broke their higher rated oppenents midway and walked away with the first set.

However, the Byran brothers, known for their fightback, dug deep and outplayed their rivals in the second set. Under relentless pressure, the Indo-Czech pair could not even save not a single service to lose 0-6.

The decider though was a different ball game altogether with both the pairs not giving an inch to the other. The world number one pair finally held their nerves in the cliffhanger to win the third set in super tie-breaker 10-7 and the match.

This season, Paes and Damm had won two titles -- in Rotterdam and ATP Masters Series in Indian Wells -- and had lost three finals.

The Bryans are chasing their ninth title of the season and second Cincinnati title -- the last one being in 2003.

UNI