Mahesh Bhupathi and Max Mirnyi kept their hopes of qualifying for the semi-finals of the ATP Masters tournament in Houston alive with a straight set win in their second round-robin match in the Blue Group.

The Indo-Belarussian pair beat the Argentine duo of Gaston Etlis and Martin Rodriguez 6-3, 7-6 (7/5) in this season-ending showdown of the year's top eight pairs.

In their previous match, Bhupathi and Mirnyi had lost to Jonas Bjorkman of Sweden and Todd Woodbridge of Australia 3-6, 2-6.

In another Blue Group match, Woodbridge and Bjorkman beat American brothers Bob and Mike Bryan 6-3, 6-4. They have not lost a set in a 2-0 start in the 2004 circuit finale for which the playing field was finalised at the Paris Masters.

The Bhupathi-Mirnyi team, which was No. 2 behind the Bryans last year, has won only one title, at AMS Rome, this year.

Mark Knowles of Bahamas and Daniel Nestor of Canada clinched the year-end world number one doubles ranking here with a 5-7, 7-6 (7/2), 6-4 win over Belgians Xavier Malisse and Olivier Rochus in a Red Group match.