Paes in doubt for Australian Open

Leander Paes' preparations for the Australian Open suffered a set back on Thursday when the Indian injured his foot during the doubles quarter-finals at the USD 419,000 ATP Tour tennis tournament in Sydney.

Earlier Report Paes, Bhupathi face-off in Sydney

The 31-year-old Paes and his Serbian partner Nenad Zimonjic were leading 3-1 in the first set against third seeds Mahesh Bhupathi of India and Todd Woodbridge of Australia when the Kolkatan fell down after injuring his left foot while making a service return.

The Indo-Serbian pair soon conceded the match as Paes was taken to the hospital on a wheelchair.

Paes-Zimonjic had rebounded from a first set deficit to post a 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 win over Spaniards Feliciano Lopez and Fernando Verdasco in the previous round on Wednesday.

The Sydney hard court event is a lead up to the Australian Open, the year's first Grand Slam, beginning in Melbourne on Monday.