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Australian Open: Leander Paes wins in mixed doubles, Rohan Bopanna suffers loss

Paes-Hingis took 65 minutes to beat Australia's Masa Jovanovic and Sam Thompson 6-2 7-6 (2) in 1st round.

Australian Open, Leander Paes, Martina Hingis, Tennis

Paes-Hingis next face Spain’s Anabel Medina Garrigues and Pablo Andujar on Monday. (Source: PTI file)

Leander Paes and Martina Hingis won their mixed doubles opener while Rohan Bopanna and Barbora Zahlavova Strycova were knocked out of the competition at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on Sunday.

Seventh seeds Paes and Hingis took 65 minutes to beat Australia’s Masa Jovanovic and Sam Thompson 6-2 7-6 (2) in the first round match played on Show Court 3.

The Indo-Swiss pair earned as many as 10 break points in the match but could only convert three of them. They next face Spain’s Anabel Medina Garrigues and Pablo Andujar on Monday.

Paes is already out of the men’s doubles and so as Bopanna. With Sunday’s defeat in the mixed doubles, Bopanna is out of the tournament.

Bopanna fought hard with his Czech partner Strycova against third seeded duo of Kristina Mladenovic and Daniel Nestor before going down 2-6 6-3 4-10 in the super tie-break.

India’s Ojasvinee Singh too suffered a painful first round loss in the girls’ doubles. She and her Thai partner Tamachan Momkoonthod lost to Katharina Hobgarski and Greet Minnen 3-6 7-6 (2) 9-11.

Besides Paes, another Indian in action on Monday will be Sania Mirza, who plays her mixed doubles second round match with Brazilian Bruno Soares.