Dubai Tennis C'ships: Leander in quarterfinals, Prajnesh bows out

Leander Paes and Matthew Ebden knocked out the second seeds Ivan Dodig and Filip Polasek, while Prajnesh Gunneswaran lost to Dennis Novak.

Paes (left) and Ebden will take on Henri Kontinen and Jan-Lennard Struff in the quarterfinals.

Leander Paes, in partnership with Matthew Ebden of Australia, knocked out the second seeds Ivan Dodig and Filip Polasek in the doubles pre-quarterfinals of the $2,950,420 ATP-500 Dubai Tennis Championships on Tuesday. In the quarterfinals, Leander and partner, who got a wild card entry, will play qualifiers Henri Kontinen of Finland and Jan-Lennard Struff of Germany, who won their first round in two tie-break sets against Mate Pavic and Bruno Soares.

In the singles, however, wild card entrant, Prajnesh Gunneswaran was beaten 6-4, 6-3 by qualifier Dennis Novak of Austria.  

The results: $2,950,420 ATP-500, Dubai, UAE Singles (first round): Dennis Novak (Aut) bt Prajnesh Gunneswaran 6-4, 6-3. Doubles (pre-quarterfinals): Matthew Ebden (Aus) & Leander Paes bt Ivan Dodig (Cro) & Filip Polasek (Svk) 6-4, 6-3