With their 6-2, 6-4 win over 2nd seed Rohan Bopanna and Yung-Jan Chan in the US Open 2015 mixed doubles semi-final, Leander Paes and Martina Hingis booked a place in the final of their third Grand Slam this year and considering the sport's obsession with youth, the performances of these two old-timers - which includes 2015 Australian Open and Wimbledon titles - is nothing less than superlative.
Paes is 42 while Hingis, who dominated women's singles field in the late 90s is now 35. To go with her 14 titles prior to her retirement, the Swiss has now added four more Grand Slam titles - two of them with Paes . And with Sania Mirza, the Swiss is now poised for her second women's doubles title this year after reaching the final with ease.
It was Paes who pushed Hingis for this partnership and the duo have looked almost unbeatable since joining hands at the Australian Open earlier this year. While Hingis' transformation from a singles to doubles player has been impressive, Paes, one of the best if not the best doubles player in the world is proving time and again that age is just a number.
When he takes the court against USA's Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Sam Querrey in the mixed doubles final at Flushing Meadows, it would be the Indian's 33rd Grand Slam final appearance and he will be aiming to follow his Wimbledon victory with the US Open title.
Out of his 33 Grand Slam final appearances, 16 have been in men's doubles, while 17, including the 2015 US Open, have come in mixed doubles. Paes has won eight doubles and eight mixed doubles and will likely win his third with Hingis this year without much trouble against unseeded pair of Mattek-Sands-Querrey.
Paes had enjoyed success the most at SW19 winning five titles in all. Four of them came in mixed doubles while one in men's doubles with Mahesh Bhupathi. A win with Hingis will also take his US Open title tallies to five. Three of those victories have been in men's doubles, while one in mixed doubles came with Zimbabwe's Cara Black.
Hingis, on the other hand, seems to be enjoying the company of Indians as her four Grand Slam victories after her comeback in 2006 have come in the partnerships of Paes (2015 Australian Open, 2015 Wimbledon), Bhupathi (2006 Australian Open) and Mirza (2015 Wimbledon).
The Swiss player has also entered the final of women's doubles with Mirza and the top seed too will be aiming for their second consecutive Grand Slam title after their Wimbledon success. Mirza has now completely shifted her focus on the doubles event and is revelling the partnership of Hingis. The Indian will be aiming for her fifth Grand Slam title and second US Open title. She had won the mixed doubles event at Flushing Meadows last year in company of Brazil's Bruno Soares.