Melo and Soares advance in Brisbane
Hutchins and Kerr fall in the first round…
Brazilian duo Marcelo Melo and Bruno Soares are through to the quarter-finals of the Brisbane International after posting a 6-2 6-4 victory over Ross Hutchins and Jordan Kerr.
WIth both pairs embarking on new long-term partnerships this season, it was the No.4 seeds who settled into their groove in their first match of 2010, producing a dominant display from the off.
Struggling to make their first serves count, Hutchins and Kerr were broken twice in the first set and couldn’t register a break point chance of their own as the Brazilians claimed the set.
Hutchins and Kerr made more of an impression in the second set and created three break point chances along the way, but Melo and Soares were virtually flawless on serve.
The Brazilians dropped just five points along the way and landing 84% of first serves. The Aussie-Brit duo could not match that performance, and one break was enough to seal the match just past the hour mark.
Melo and Soares will now play Americans James Blake and Andy Roddick in the last eight.
