New Delhi, Apr 3: Mahesh Bhupathi and Mark Knowles defeated Leander Paes and Paul Hanley in a keen contest to reach the men's doubles semifinals of the USD 3,77,0000 ATP WTA Sony Ericsson Open in Miami.

In a gruelling quarterfinal clash on Wednesday, fourth-seeded Bhupathi and his Bahamian partner Knowles pipped the eight-seeded Indo-Australian duo of Paes and Hanley 6-2, 6-7 (8), 10-6 to move a step closer to the title clash.

In the semifinals, the Indo-Bahamian combine will meet the sixth-seeded Czech pair of Martin Damm and Paul Vizner, who faced an equally tough task while getting past Richard Gasquet and Jo-Wilfred Tsonga of France 6-4, 2-6, 10-4.