SYDNEY, JAN 29: Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi crashed out of the men's doubles of the Australian Open when they were beaten in a five-set thriller 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 by fifth seeds Jonas Bjorkman and Jacco Eltingh.The world No 2 Indian pair started against the Swede-Dutch pair on a positive note, taking the first set at 6-4, but lost the momentum later to allow Bjorkman and Eltingh to dominate. They lost the next two sets 5-7, 3-6 in a tensely-fought battle.
The star duo raised their game again in the fourth set, winning it 6-3 to level 2-2.
Trying his hand in doubles with a new partner, the Swedish number one Bjorkman served well and displayed better understanding with Eltingh to win the decisive fifth set 6-3.
This was the second consecutive Grand Slam semi-final appearance for Paes-Bhupathi. The two had reached the last-four stage of 1997 US Open where they went down to Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Daniel Vacek.
Bjorkman-Eltingh will now meet the top-rated Australian duo of Mark Woodforde andTodd Woodbridge who registered a 6-4, 7-5, 6-3 win over the Australian-American pair of David MaCpherson and David Wheaton.
The Woodies are bidding for their third Australian Open crown.
BHUPATHI STAYS IN COMPETITION: Bhupathi put behind his disappointment of losing in the men's doubles and came back strongly to reach the last-four stage of the mixed doubles event today.
Partnering Caroline Vis of the Netherlands at Melbourne Park, the No 4 seeds, playing together for first time in this event, rallied from one set down to beat unseeded Australians Andrew Kratzmann and Kerry-Anne Guse 4-6, 7-6 (9-7), 6-2.
Bhupathi-Vis will meet the brother-sister combination of Cyril Suk and Helena Sukova of the Czech Republic in the semis tomorrow.
The fifth-seeded Czechs also came from a set down to score a 3-6, 7-6 (7-1), 6-4 win against Aleksander Kitinov of Macedonia and Eva Melicharova of the Czech Republic.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
