Zimbabwe's Cara Black and her American partner Liezel Huber are now ranked as the third-best women's tennis doubles team in the world after winning their first title of the year at the Paris Open in France on Sunday.

Black and Huber won their first title of the year and their 23rd as a team in the doubles event, outlasting Kveta Peschke of the Czech Republic and American Lisa Raymond in the final in a match tie-break, 6-4, 3-6, 10-4, The Herald reported on Tuesday.

Black and Huber, co-ranked number one in the world and the top seeds at the Paris Open, won one title together in 2001 and two more in 2006, but have been on top of the doubles world for over two years now, having won a phenomenal nine in 2007 and 10 more in 2008.

And according to the latest Race to the Sony Ericsson Championships Team Standings, which were released yesterday from New York, Black and Huber jumped three places up the ladder into third position after their sweet victory in Paris on Sunday.

Black and Huber, who lost the number one spot in the world doubles team rankings to the Williams sisters, Venus and Serena, after the Australian Open in Melbourne last month, have now accumulated 1,240 points.

But with Black and Huber finally back in business after their latest triumph in Paris, it won't be long before they regain the top spot in the world team standings. Black and Huber are still ranked as the co-world number ones in the world doubles rankings for individual players and they tightened their grip at the top of the standings following Sunday's victory at the Paris Open.

They are still sharing the top spot with 10,120 points each and are way ahead of third-placed Sugiyama (6,990 points) and Slovenia Katarina Srebotnik, who is lying in fourth place with 6,170 points. Black and Huber were, meanwhile, walking on cloud nine after securing their first title of the year in Paris on Sunday.

(Xinhua News Agency February 18, 2009)