TORONTO: The world`s top two players, Spain`s Rafael Nadal and Serbian Novak Djokovic, slumped to a shock loss in their Toronto Masters first round doubles match to a pair of wildcard Canadians.
Nadal and Djokovic took the first set 7-5 against the unheralded duo of Vasek Pospisil and Milos Raonic, but then lost the next two sets, 6-3, 10-8.
Not since Jimmy Connors was ranked first and Arthur Ashe second when they played together 34 years ago have the top two singles players joined forces in doubles.
But the dream doubles team here did not produce the goods, the 20-year-old Pospisil and Raonic, 19, winning the final three games of the second set, and immediately gained control in the match tie-break by rolling out to a 4-0 lead.
They earned four match points at 9-5, and after seeing Djokovic and Nadal erase three of those opportunities, finally succeeded in closing out the win in one hour and 34 minutes.
Pospisil and Raonic will next face Wimbledon champions and number five seeds Jurgen Melzer and Philipp Petzschner.
BDST: 1857 HRS, AUGUST 10, 2010