Australia Open: India's Yuki Bhazmbri advances, N. Sriram Balaji ousted

Melbourne, India's Yuki Bhazmbri advanced to the third round of the men's doubles at the Australian Open on Saturday, while compatriot N. Sriram Balaji bowed out, marking a mixed day for the Indian contingent at the season's first Grand Slam.

Bhambri and his 10th-seeded Swedish partner Andre Goransson overcame the unseeded pairing of Santiago Gonzalez and David Pel 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-3 in a second-round contest that was interrupted by the tournament's extreme heat policy.

The match, which lasted two hours and six minutes in total, had been suspended on Thursday with Bhambri and Goransson trailing 4-6, 2-2 before resuming later as per Australian Open regulations.


Showing composure after the restart, the Indo-Swedish pair lifted their level in a tense second-set tie-break before asserting control in the decider to seal their place in the last 16.

Earlier, Balaji, partnering Austria's Neil Oberleitner, exited the tournament after a straight-sets loss to fourth seeds Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic. The alternate pair went down 5-7, 1-6 in their second-round encounter.

Bhambri's progress keeps Indian interest alive in the men's doubles draw as the tournament moves into its decisive stages.