September 8, 2013 4:38 PM

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4 Indians short-listed for this year�s ICC Awards

Leander Paes and his Czech partner Radek Stepanek will slug it out in the Men's Doubles title clash of the US Open Tennis tournament in New York tonight. The fourth seeded Indo-Czech pair will take on the second seeded Austrian-Brazilian combination of Alexander Peya and Bruno Soares. Paes and Stepanek are being billed as favourites to lift the trophy, as they had stunned America's top seeded Bryan brothers, Bob and Mike, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the semi-finals, with an exceptional performance. In the other semi-final, Peya and Soares had defeated the Croatian-Brazilian team of Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo, 7-5, 6-4, and are also in good form.<br/><br/>Paes has won US Open Men's Doubles title two times — in 2006 with Czech Martin Damm, and 2009 with another Czech, Lukas Dlouhy. Last year, Paes and Stepanek missed by a whisker from bagging the title, as they lost to the Bryan brothers in the finals of this fourth and final Grand Slam of the tournament.<br/><br/>Meanwhile, World Number One American Serena Williams will clash with World Number Two Victoria Azarenka of Belarus in the Women's Singles finals tonight. In the semis, while Serena defeated Na Li of China, 6-0, 6-3, Azarenka beat Italian Flavia Pennetta, 6-4, 6-2. Both, Serena and Azarenka had met in last year's final, in which Serena claimed the title, beating the Belarusian, 6-2, 2-6, 7-5.<br/><br/>Last night, Serbia's World Number One Novak Djokovic and Spaniard Rafael Nadal secured the Men's Singles final two berths. While Djokovic edged past Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka, 2-6, 7-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, World Number Two Nadal sailed past Frenchman Richard Gasquet, 6-4, 7-6, 6-2. Djokovic and Nadal will meet for the third time in four years in tomorrow's final at the Flushing Meadows, with Nadal having won in 2010 and holding a 21-15 record in their all-time meetings.

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