MELBOURNE: Pakistan’s Aisam-ul-Haq’s journey at the Australian Open came short at the third round.

Aisam, along with his partner Jean-Julien Rojer of the Netherlands, lost to the pair of Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci and Frenchman Benoit Paire 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, 7-6 (7-5) in their men’s doubles match which lasted two hours and 40 minutes on Sunday.

It was a major upset for the sixth-seeded duo who were aiming to start the year with a Grand Slam victory in Melbourne.

However, for Bellucci and Paire — who a single specialists and joined hands for the tournament — their spectacular journey in the men’s doubles continues and they now face third-seeded Spaniards Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez in the quarter-finals.

“It was a tough game. In the first set we were unable to create many chances. Later, in the second set started much better and we were superior. The third set was very balanced, missed a chance to close on 6/5, but Paire kept his cool to close in the tiebreaker,” said Bellucci.

The first set went to a tie-break which was won by Aisam and Rojer but Bellucci and Paire converted one of the three break points to take the second. They then broke Rojer’s serve in the 11th game but Aisam and Rojer took the game into the tie-break before Bellucci wrapped up the match when his return got the better of Aisam.

For Rojer it was a second defeat of the day after he and his Australian partner Anastasia Rodionova lost 6-4, 6-2 in their mixed doubles first-round match against Indian Mahesh Bhupathi and Russian Nadia Petrova. Aisam had already exited the mixed doubles event on Saturday.—Agencies