Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes

Fourth-seeded Mahesh Bhupathi and Mark Knowles continued their quest for a third ATP title this season as they knocked out Leander Paes and Paul Hanley in the quarterfinals of the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami on Wednesday.

The Indo-Bahamian duo knocked out eighth-seeded Paes and Hanley 6-2, 6-7(8), 10-6 in one hour and 44 minutes to enter the semi-finals.

Bhupathi and Knowles saved three break point opportunities in winning the first set in 28 minutes. But the Memphis and Dubai champions found it difficult to repeat in the second set.

Unable to convert any of the seven break point opportunities they created, the pair was edged out in a tense tie-break but won six of eight points on serve to snatch the match tie-break for their 18th win of the year.

The pair, currently No. 2 in the Stanford ATP Doubles Race, made their team debut at Sydney in January.

Bhupathi and Knowles next play sixth-seeded Czechs Martin Damm and Pavel Vizner, who outbattled the French team of Richard Gasquet and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, 4-6, 6-4, 14-12.