By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net ONE month after the ATP Tour got started, Mark Knowles and Xavier Malisse found the winning formula once again. The duo, who teamed up as Knowles won his only title last year in Los Angeles, got together in their season opener at the SAP Open in San Jose, California, where they triumphed with a 6-4, 1-6, 10-5 win over American Kevin Anderson and Frank Moser of Germany. Knowles and Malisse, who hails from Belgium but is a resident in Sarasota, Florida, won the men's doubles at the $531,000 Hard Court. They pocketed $29,120 and earned 250 ATP points. On their way to the final, Knowles and Malisse pulled off a 7-6 (4), 6-3 win over the team of Gilles Muller from Luxembourg and Olivier Rochus from Belgium in Saturday's semifinal. In the second round on Friday, Knowles and Malisse beat the team of James Cerretain of the US and Matthew Ebden of Australia 6-3, 6-2. They opened the tournament with a 7-6 (2), 1-6, 10-decision over Mikhail Elgin of Russia and Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan. Knowles, 40, dropped significantly in the ATP computer ranking after his dismal showing last year. He was ranked at No. 63, the lowest he has been since he was ranked at No.1 in 2002. Malisse, 31, is currently ranked at No. 29. Since posting the top ranking in 2002, Knowles has began a progressive decline in the rankings and he started to win fewer tournaments after he and his long-time partner Daniel Nestor from Canada began the trek to dissolving their partnership. In 2007 when they finally quit, Knowles has struggled with partner after partner each year. He won three with Indian Mahesh Bhupathi in 2008, one with Bhupathi and another with American Mardy Fish in 2009. But in 2009, he and Fish teamed up to win their only tournament before he did the same last year with Malisse. Malisse was here to play in Knowles' Celebrity Tennis Tournament at Atlantis on Paradise Island in December. Since turning pro in 2002, Knowles has won 54 doubles titles and played in another 44 finals. He also won just one singles title in Shanghai in 1996.