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By Erik Gudris

Mike and Bob Bryan win the 2012 US Open men;s doubles title (September 7, 2012) -- For Bob and Mike Bryan, there's no place like home.

In this case, it was a partisan home crowd full of Americans at Arthur Ashe Stadium who supported the twins as they took on No. 5 seeds Leander Paes and Radek Stepanek in the U.S. Open men's doubles finals. And though the Bryans were still favored, Paes and Stepanek were worthy opponents considering they beat the Bryans in Melbourne in January to take the 2012 Australian Open title.

The Bryans put pressure on Paes and Stepanek early, earning several break point chances before finally converting in the fifth game of the set to go up 4-2. A pair of easy service games followed allowing the Bryans to close out the set 6-2.

Stepanek struggled in his opening service game of the second set and allowed the Bryans to sneak out an early break. And though the Melbourne champions cleaned up their game to keep the set close, it wasn't enough as they never forced the Bryans to face a break point all afternoon. Serving up 5-4, the Bryans on their first match point won an extended exchange as Paes sent a backhand into the net to seal a 6-2, 6-4 victory for the Bryans.

The win marked the fourth U.S. Open title for the pair along with being their 12th major title overall -- a feat that now moved them past the team of Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde and gives them the most men's doubles major titles for any team, tying them with John Newcombe and Tony Roche.

When asked about their thoughts on their many records in the sport, Mike Bryan said, "Yeah, I mean when we're done playing I think they're going to be fun to have. When you're in the heat of the moment you don't want to think about that stuff. We're just trying to win the Grand Slam, you know.  And now that we could chill a little bit, it's fun to have it. You know, we looked up to the Woodies, and to steal all their records is unbelievable, because we idolize those guys. They're one of the reasons we play doubles.  Just to be mentioned with those guys is pretty special.  But to have a huge record like the Grand Slam record is really cool."

(Photo Credit: AFP/Patrick Kovarik)

 

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