Leander Paes [Images] and Martin Damm surprised defending champions Jonas Bjorkman and Max Mirnyi in their opening doubles match of the season-ending Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai on Sunday.

The fourth-seeded Indo-Czech pair, drawn in the Gold Group, beat the sixth-seeded Swede-Belarusian duo 6-4, 6-1 in a little over and hour.

Paes and Damm had lost to Bjorkman and Mirnyi in the semi-finals of the event last year.

The top two teams from the Red and Gold Groups will qualify for the semi-finals here.

Paes and Damm converted four of the seven break points that came their way, and after winning the first set 6-4, cruised to win the  second 6-1.

In another match Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram (Israel) beat Paul Hanley [Images] (Australia) & Kevin Ullyett (Zimbabwe) 6-7(1), 6-3, 14-12.

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