Knowles, Nestor win men's doubles title

NEW YORK (AP) -- Mark Knowles and Daniel Nestor won their first U.S. Open doubles title by beating Leander Paes and David Rikl 6-3, 6-3 Friday.

Knowles, of the Bahamas, and Nestor, of Canada, also won the 2002 Australian Open. But they have lost six other Grand Slam finals, including at the 1998 U.S. Open.

"We had a lot of heartbreak over the years, losing a lot of finals, so this feels really great: winning," Nestor said. "I had a lot of help from my partner. He played great."

He and Knowles never faced a break point Friday, while breaking their opponents' serves three times, including Rikl's in the final game.

On match point, Knowles lofted a perfect backhand lob that rolled over Rikl and Paes at the net and landed right inside the baseline.

"They played magic today," Paes said. "They were definitely two paces too fast for us today."

Knowles and Nestor, seeded third, knocked off Olympic champion Nicolas Massu and Fernando Gonzalez in the quarterfinals. Paes and Rikl, seeded 13th, beat defending champions Jonas Bjorkman and Todd Woodbridge in the third round en route to reaching their first major final as a team.

Paes, who won three Slam titles with Mahesh Bhupathi, missed last year's U.S. Open with a parasitic infection that caused a brain abscess.

"Last year, I went through a tough time," Paes said. "I was in the hospital, trying to combat a life-threatening illness, and it's a great joy just to be at the U.S. Open this year."