Miami (Florida), March 23: India's Mahesh Bhupathi and his partner from Bahamas Daniel Nestor have defeated French pair Richard Gasquet and Eduardo Roger-Vasselin 7-6 (3), 6-3 in the men's doubles first round at the ATP World Tour Miami Masters here.
The third-seeded Indo-Bahams pair had a tough time forcing the first-set tie-break, but they were in complete control in the second set to take it and the match in an hour and 20 minutes Friday.
The Frenchmen found it difficult to handle the service of Bhupathi and Nestor and that proved decisive in a match otherwise had very little to choose between the two pairs.
Bhupathi and Nestor next play Spaniard Nicolas Almagro and his Austrian partner Oliver Marach, who beat Colombian Juan Sebastian Cabal and his Mexican partner Santiago Gonzalez 6-3, 6-4, in their first round.
On Thursday, another Indian Leander Paes and his French partner Michael Llodra, seeded seventh, overcame Germany's Christopher Kas and Philipp Kohlschreiber, 6-3, 7-5.
