London: Mahesh Bhupathi and Max Mirnyi of Belarus crashed out of the Wimbledon men's doubles after a nerve-wracking third round loss today (June 28, 2004).

Bhupathi and Mirnyi, the third seeds, were upset by Austria's Julian Knowle and Nenad Zimonjic of Serbia 6-4 3-6 8-6.

The pair's defeat comes as a heartbreak for the Indian fans who saw their champion performer Leander Paes exit the doubles event in the second round with Czech Republic partner David Rikl yesterday.

The results assume significance as these come weeks before the ITF announces seedings for the Olympic tennis.

Bhupathi and Paes have earned a direct entry into the doubles draw at the quadrennial event but need to hold a good combined ranking to be seeded.

The Olympic tennis seedings and wild cards are to be announced on July 17.