New Zealand's top ranked doubles player Michael Venus is off to a superb start to the prestigious Indian Wells Masters in California.
Venus and his South African partner Raven Klaasen have beaten Australian Open runners-up Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah from Columbia 4-6, 6-0, 10-5 in 1 hr 17 to reach the second round.
Venus and Klaasen got off to a slow start and were both broken in their opening service games as the Colombians raced to a 3-0 lead in the first set, eventually taking it, 6-4.
It was one way traffic in the second set as Venus and Klaasen found their rhythm breaking three times to win it 6-0 and force a match tiebreak.
Venus and Klaasen quickly gained the ascendency and the Kiwi was prominent at 7-5 coming up with a sizzling forehand winner to extend to 8-5. Venus hit a forehand volley winner to bring up four match points at 9-5 and then forced an error off Cabal in the next point to clinch the match.