Paes-Bhupathi lose in first round

The eight-match clay court winning streak of India's former world number one pair Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi was snapped when they lost to Andre Agassi and Lleyton Hewitt in the first round of the ATP Masters series in Rome on May 10.

Wild cards Agassi and Hewitt prevailed over the seventh- ranked Indians 2-6 7-6 (7/5) 7-5 in a little under two hours, according to information received here.

Paes and Bhupathi, who had won the Houston title last week, lifted their game on several occasions but failed to sustain the momentum. They even had a match point in the second and were up 5-0 in the third but squandered the advantage when it mattered.

The duo, who came to Rome fresh from winning two titles at Atlanta and Houston in succession after a semi-final finish at Monte Carlo, will be seen in action next at Hamburg.

They will also vie for a 1999 encore at the Rolland Garros (French Open) starting next week. Since their comeback, the duo has climbed from number 15 to number 7 in the rankings, and will thus be direct entrants into the second Grand Slam of the year.