Tennis: Kiwi duo push opponents all the way in cliffhanger opening clash

Wesley Whitehouse (left) and Finn Tearney. Whitehouse says he made a couple of silly errors which may have turned the flow of the game against them. Photo / Dean Purcell

Kiwi doubles pairing Wesley Whitehouse and Finn Tearney came close to causing an upset before losing a super tiebreaker to formidable Brazil and Belarus duo Marcelo Melo and Max Mirnyl on the opening day of the Heineken Open.

The unlikely looking couple -- the strongly built 35-year-old Whitehouse is 11 years older than the spritely Finn -- fought hard to come back from a break down to win the first set, but lost 6-7 7-5 10-7 in an entertaining 90-minute centre-court battle.

Down 3-7 in the super tiebreaker, the pair showed determination again to bring it back to 6-7 and had the chance to go to 7-all before letting it slip.

"We played a great game," Whitehouse said. "We had a chance of five-all in the second when we had broken, played a great game to break and then I felt like the momentum was there. I made a couple of silly errors that shouldn't have happened and that could have been the switch in the game. A set and 6-5 down, serving to stay in the match, versus serving to win the second set. That's where we sort of let it slip because a super tie breaker is like Russian roulette."

Making their effort more surprising is the fact South African-born Whitehouse, a 1997 Wimbledon junior champ, has been battling health and weight issues, and began the tournament several kilos over his ideal playing weight.

"I actually had an underactive thyroid and I picked up like 30 kilos," he said. "I've had to lose half of that now and it's been a real battle but I'm on medication and it is helping. But yeah, I do look like I could probably be a rugby player ... "

In the singles, Alejandro Gonzalez of Colombia trumped Frenchman Stephane Robert 6-4 4-6 7-6, and compatriot Alejandro Falla also advances, as a lucky loser, after going down to France's Kenny De Schepper 7-6 7-6.

Meanwhile, fellow Frenchman Adrian Mannarino dispatched Argentina's Federico Delbonis 6-1 6-1, while in the two late games, German Jan-Lennard Struff sent highly touted Austrian Dominic Thiem packing 6-7 6-4 6-3, and US No 8 seed Steve Johnson defeated Joao Sousa of Portugal 7-5 6-4.