Pugh, Leach Off to Fast Start at ATP Doubles Tournament

SANCTUARY COVE, Australia — United States Davis Cup stars Jim Pugh and Rick Leach were in top form today, the opening day of the $1-million ATP World Doubles championships.

Leach and Pugh, the reigning Wimbledon champions, defeated French Open titlists Emilio Sanchez and Sergio Casal of Spain, 6-4, 6-2 in their first round-robin match.

“It is tough adjusting to the sun, wind and different court conditions, but we won fairly comfortably,” said Pugh, who played at UCLA.

Leach, out of USC, and Pugh are seeded third. They overpowered the sixth-seeded Sanchez and Casal in 65 minutes.

Americans Scott Davis and David Pate, the No. 2 seeds, took only 54 minutes to beat South Africans Gary Muller and Neil Broad, 6-2, 6-2.

The top-seeded South African team of Danie Visser and Pieter Aldrich and the French-Swiss combination of Guy Forget and Jakob Hlasek also won.

Aldrich and Visser overwhelmed Australians Darren Cahill and Mark Kratzmann, 6-4, 6-2, while the shaven-headed pair of Forget and Hlasek beat fourth-seeded Canadians Grant Connell and Glenn Michibata, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4).

Hlasek and Forget shaved their heads on a whim before the tournament and have been dubbed “the Kojak Kids” by their competitors.