New Delhi: Leander Paes and his doubles partner Nenad Zimonjic reached the second round of the 2,082,500 Euro Madrid Masters series after immense effort.
The Indo-Serbian pair defeated Americans Taylor Dent and Robby Ginepri 6-1, 1-6, 7-6 in the men's doubles event.
Dent and Ginepri were filling in as alternates after Rafael Nadal and Feliciano Lopez withdrew from the doubles due to Nadal?s knee injury.
Paes and Zimonjic got off to a flier, clinching the first set dropping just one game.
However, complacency and poor coordination plagued them in the second set as the Americans staged a brilliant comeback to stretch the match to a decider.
The third set was a close contest and went to the tie-breaker where Paes and Zimonjic kept their cool to edge it 7-4.
The 6-1, 1-6, 7-6(4) victory at the eighth Masters series event of the year boosted their chances of qualifying for the season ending Tennis Maters Cup in Shanghai.
Paes and Zimonjic are currently sixth in the ATP Doubles Race.
The other Indian player in the draw, Mahesh Bhupathi teams up with Martin Damm of Czech Republic to take on the Bryan brothers, Bob and Mike, in the first round.
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