Rediff

Netherlands, Jun 21: Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi rallied into the final of the Ordina Open on Friday to put themselves in line for their first triumph after reuniting earlier this week.

The second seeds beat the Argentine combine of Juan Martin Del Potro and Guillermo Canas 6-7, 6-3, 10-7 in an hour and 44 minutes in the semi-finals at 's-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands.

They will meet Austria's Jurgen Melzer and big-serving Croat Mario Ancic in the final.

Melzer-Ancic fired 12 aces to edge out Steve Darcis and Marc Gicquel 7-6 (6), 7-6 (2) in the other semi-final.

Paes and Bhupathi, who are playing as a team on the ATP Tour for the first time since 2004, have won 23 titles, including three Slams together.

The unseeded Argentine pair gave Paes and Bhupathi anxious moments from the start, forcing them to save two break-points just a couple of minutes into the match.

The Indians saved two more breaks in the tenth game but were also guilty of frittering away five break points as the set went into a tie-breaker.

The 53-minute first set ended with Canas and Porto finishing it off 8-6.

Jolted by the setback, Paes-Bhupathi stormed back in the second set and broke in the opening game itself. They got another chance to break in the third game but Canas and Potro saved it.

However, Paes-Bhupathi made no mistake in the seventh game and converted one of the two break-points they got to make it 5-2.

The Argentines broke back in the eighth game but lost serve in the next game as the Indians drew level.

The super tie-breaker turned out to be a see-saw battle, but the experienced Indian duo held their nerve to earn two match-points before eventually wrapping it up and winning their toughest match of the tournament.