Miami (PTI): Leander Paes and his partner Paul Hanley overcame a bad start to advance to the pre-quarterfinals of the USD 3,770,000 Sony Ericsson Open, ATP Masters Series event here.

The eights seed Indo-Australian duo rallied from a set down to pip Yves Allegro of Switzerland and Paul-Henri Mathieu of France 2-6 6-0 10-3 in the first round clash last night.

They next meet Christopher Kas of Germany and Dutch Rogier Wassen, who beat Czech pair of Leos Friedl and David Skoch 2-6 6-4 10-4 in their opening match.

Fourth seeds Mahesh Bhupathi and his Bahamas' partner Mark Knowles open their campaign against Czech pair Tomas Berdych and Lukas Dlouhy.