Leander Paes and his German partner Andre Begemann were knocked out in the first round of men’s doubles at the US Open after losing to the Stephane Robert-Dudi Sela 6-2 5-7 4-6 on Saturday.

Despite starting on a positive note after taking the first set 6-2, Paes and Begemann lost the next set by a narrow margin (5-7).

In the decider set, the Indo-German were on the road to victory after racing to a 4-2 lead. But, the rival pair waged a brilliant fightback and won four consecutive games to clinch the tie.

Paes and Begemann were one of the top contenders after reaching the final of Winston-Salem Open only a week ago.

43-year old Paes is still a favourite to retain his mixed doubles title with legendary Swiss partner Martina Hingis.

The Indo-Swiss pair had earlier advanced into the second round outplaying Sachia Vickery/Frances Tiafoe 6-3 6-2.

[source;rediff.com]