Indians at Australian Open: Paes-Stepanek exit after quarter-final loss

Veteran Indian tennis star Leander Paes and his Czech partner Radek Stepanek bowed out of the Australian Open after losing their men's doubles quarter-final, on Wednesday at Melbourne Park.

Paes-Stepanek were beaten 6-2, 7-6 (7-4) at the Margaret Court Arena by the French duo of Michael Llodra and Nicolas Mahut.

Llodra and Mahut will meet Lukasz Kubot and Robert Lindstedt (Poland/Sweden), whoe got the better of Max Mirnyi/Mikhail Youzhny (Belarus/Russia) 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 in another quarter-final.

But, it is not all over for Paes. He had earlier emerged victorious in a tight mixed doubles contest against Mahesh Bhupathi to advance to the quarter-finals.

Paes and his Slovakian partner Daniela Hantuchova, unseeded in the tournament, upset eighth seeds Mahesh Bhupathi and Elena Vesnina of Russia 6-0, 2-6, 10-6 to make it to the quarter-finals of the mixed doubles.