Leander Paes' [ Images ] new year and new partnership – with Australian Paul Hanley [ Images ] – began on a sour when they were beaten by Benjamin Becker and Oliver Marach [ Images ] in the opening round of the Next Generation Adelaide International in Adelaide on Wednesday.

The German-Austrian combine, who made in to the Adelaide draw only when Mario Ancic and Radek Stepanek pulled out, upset the top-seeded pair 7-6(0), 7-5 in a match that lasted one hour and 41 minutes.

Paes, who ended his successful partnership with Czech Martin Damm [ Images ] at the end of last season, has teamed up with the Aussie for the 2008 season though there are talks of a reunion with Mahesh Bhupathi [ Images ] keeping in the mind the Beijing [ Images ] Olympics [ Images ].