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Leander, Mahesh lose in ATP finals

Fourth-seeded Americans Rick Leach and Jonathan Stark defeated the fifth-seeded Indian duo of Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7-3), to win the $ 500,000 ATP Tour World Doubles Championship in Hartford.

Leach and Stark captured their first title of the year after going winless in five finals, and earned their first world championship as a team. Leach picked up his second world championship, having teamed with Jim Pugh to win the 1988 title. The duo accumulated $ 115,000 in prize money for winning the season-ending event.

Leach and Stark will finish third in the final ATP Tour team rankings, behind Australia's Mark Woodforde and Todd Woodbridge and Dutchmen Jacco Eltingh and Paul Haarhuis, who Leach and Stark defeated in the semi-finals.

Bhupathi and Paes, playing in their first season-ending tournament, were denied their ATP Tour seventh doubles title of 1997 as they suffered their first loss in a final this year. The duo tied with Eltingh and Haarhuis for the ATP Tour lead in titles won. Bhupathi and Paes will finish fourth in the ATP rankings.

This was the second meeting between the two teams in a final this season. Bhupathi and Paes defeated Leach and Stark in straight sets at Singapore in October.