Tennis twins Sanchai and Sonchat Ratiwatana committed seven deadly sins by wasting that many gold medal points to hand victory to India's defending champions, Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi, in the men's doubles final yesterday.

The gutsy Indians defeated the Thai twins in a marathon, rain-interrupted final 5-7 7-6 (9-7) 6-3.

The Ratiwatana brothers squandered six championship points at 6-5 in the second set and a seventh at 7-6 in the tie-break.

Their concentration fell apart at a crucial stage while the Indians raised their game when it seemed their backs were against the wall. Paes, in particular, came up with classy volleys when the team needed them most to escape from defeat several times.

After the Indian pair took the second set to level the match , rained interrupted play for half an hour. From then on, the match went the way of the champions.

Sanchai said: "It was the best match of my life. We had seven match points against the former world No 1 team and it was incredible that we let it slip through our fingers. They just controlled the situation better than us.

"We lost because they had better experience. We came into the match knowing that they were the favourites. We are happy to stay so close with them," his elder brother Sonchat said.

The Indian pair, who won three Grand Slam doubles championships together before splitting, reunited at these Games to defend their title.

Cecil Mamiit and Frederick Taino from the Philippines shared the bronze with South Korea's Jun Woong Sun and Kim Sun Young.

Thailand have a last shot for gold when Danai Udomchoke confronts top seed and a previous silver medallist Lee Hyung-taik in the men's singles final today.

Earlier, China's Zheng Jie capped a sensational year yesterday with gold in the women's singles at the Asian Games, fighting off a challenge from Indian darling Sania Mirza.

Zheng, who won Wimbledon and the Australian Open doubles titles with compatriot Yan Zi, took the first set 6-4 before Mirza fought back in the second only to be denied in the crucial third.

The 23-year-old second seed, whose stellar season also included singles titles at Stockholm and Estoril, won 6-4 1-6 6-1.

"I played my best tennis of the tournament today," said Zheng.

But the strong-Indian crowd, who yelled and cheered when she served faults, affected her game and she likened the one hour 49 minute final to being at a football match.

"This was a tough match because everybody was supporting Sania but I just kept going and tried to play aggressively in the third," she said.

"Actually it affected me very much, because tennis games tend to be very quiet and elegant affairs but it felt like I was playing football today."

Zheng, whose victory hands China their first tennis gold here, is gunning for two out of two in the women's doubles final with Yan today.

Mirza, who upset top seed and Zheng's Chinese team-mate Li Na on Tuesday to reach the final, said she had plenty of chances but failed to capitalise.

"I could have played better in every department today but that's just the way tennis goes. I have to be happy with silver," the 20-year-old said.

"I didn't come out with my best today and she did, she deserved to win. I'm obviously a bit fatigued [after playing 10 days of tennis] but that's no excuse."

Mirza, who also has silver in the team event, still has a chance at gold when she teams with Leander Paes in the mixed doubles final later yesterday.

Nerves appeared to grip Mirza early in the final, perhaps with the weight of an expectant nation on her shoulders.

She sent her normally powerful crosscourt forehands into the net, and gave up her service game with two double faults to go 2-4 down.

But Zheng also started to wobble, double-faulting in the very next game to hand Mirza a break before the Indian held for 4-4.

The world No 33 regained her composure quickly, holding easily and again breaking Mirza to take the first set in 38 minutes.

A reinvigorated Mirza came out firing, breaking the Chinese in the third game and again in the fifth to race to a 4-1 lead, pumping her fists to signal a fightback was on the cards, before wrapping up the second set.

But in the crucial third, Zheng took a stranglehold, breaking immediately and fending off a fierce challenge from Mirza to hold her serves, prompting the Indian to smash her racket to the ground in frustration.

Mirza eventually handed her the set and the match with two double faults.

The Nation, Agencies

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