The Tribune

MARK Knowles and Xavier Malisse's bid for their second straight tournament victory was ruined yesterday as they got eliminated in the second round of the Delray Beach International Tennis Championships. Yesterday, Knowles and Malisse lost 7-6 (4), 6-4 to the team of Michal Mertinak of Slovakia and Brazilian Sa Andre. Mertinak teamed up with Knowles last year before he went down with an injury. Knowles and Malisse were seeded at No.4 in the tournament. They won their first round with a 6-4, 6-3 decision over Stafano Ianni of Italy and Denis Kudla of the US. Two weeks ago, Knowles and Malisse won the SAP Open in San Jose, California.