Paes knocked out in first round of Sydney International

Leander Paes's build-up to the Australian Open got off to a disappointing start.

The veteran Indian tennis ace and his French partner Jeremy Chardy bowed out of the Sydney International following a straight-set defeat in the opening round of the men's doubles.

Paes and Chardy lost 4-6, 4-6 in an hour and eight minutes to Brazilian-Canadian third seeds Marcelo Melo and Daniel Nestor at the US $404,780 event.

Paes starts as the defending champion in the mixed doubles at the Australian Open next week with Swiss Martina Hingis. Monday’s defeat is a dampener to his preparation for the prestigious event.

The Indo-French combo failed to convert eight break-points that came their way as Melo and Nestor broke them once each in the two sets to sail into the quarter-finals.

Among other Indians in fray, Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna play their respective matches on Tuesday.