Paes dumped in first round of Gold Flake Open

6-1, 6-2.

Not the kind of scoreline one normally associates with Leander Paes, but that was what the card read at the end of his first round game against Argentina's Gaston Ellis in the first round of the Gold Flake Open, at the Nungabakkam Stadium in Chennai on Tuesday.

The world number three and spearhead of India's Davis Cup team looked totally off colour, serving badly, returning worse, and looking a shadow of the player who has, in the past year, pulled off incredible triumphs against much higher ranked opponents in the international arena and who, in Atlanta, gave the country its first individual Olympics medal in living memory.

Barring the odd drop shot and the occasional success with his patented chip and charge technique, Paes' game just went to pieces. The first set lasted a mere 28 minutes, the second set was even briefer as Paes gave up the struggle and went through the motions.

Adding to India's misery was the fact that Paes' Davis Cup colleague, Mahesh Bhupathi, also crashed out in round one, to former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash. Again the scoreline read a one-sided 6-1. 6-3.

In other action, Wimbledon runner-up Malivai Washington, bothered by a nagging injury to his left knee, struggled a bit before putting it over Bulgaria's Orlin Stanoytchev in three sets, 7-5, 6-7, 6-3.