Tokyo, Oct 5 (UNI) India's Leander Paes and his Czech partner Lukas Dlouhy, who were just a win away from claiming back-to-back titles, were handed a straight set defeat by Russian Mikhail Youzhny and German Mischa Zverev in the final of the Japan Open here today.
The unseeded duo of Youzhny and Zverev halted the Indo-Czech pair's seven-match winning streak as they tamed the top seeds 6-3, 6-4 in just 58 minutes.
It was the same pair of Youzhny and Zverev which had stopped Paes and Dlouhy in the finals at Halle in June this year to win their first title.
Paes and Dlouhy, who won the Thailand Open last week, were eyeing their second consecutive title which was not to be.
Youzhny and Zverev, who defeated the top three seeds en route final, converted two of their four break points and saved four to beat the top seeded Indo-Czech pair.
Paes and Dlouhy have been in superb form this season with a 24-7 win-loss record but their hopes of improving the figures were dashed by an impressive and skillful rival pair.
Paes was looking for his second win here, after winning in 2000 with his former partner Mahesh Bhupathi, while it was this event where Dlouhy made his debut.
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