Good news for the Indian tennis community in Australia this weekend. Indian tennis player N. Sriram Balaji, currently ranked 65 in the world, advanced to the second round of the Men’s Doubles event of the Australian Open along with Mexican partner, Miguel Reyes-Varela. sriram balaji aus open
The duo made it to the next round in straight sets against Netherland’s Robin Haase and Aleksandr Nedovyesov of Kazakhstan on January 16 at Melbourne Park.
Balaji and Reyes-Varela lost the toss in the beginning and were asked to serve but dominated at the net, securing the first set.
Although neck to neck during the points with a few rallies going as long as 15 shots, the duo seemed to pull through in the eighth game by breaking Haase’s serve.
Throughout the game, it was Balaji’s serves that proved to be most damaging to the opponents, with placements strategically pulling them out of the court and creating opening for Reyes-Varela to quickly finish at the net.
Men’s doubles games in tennis are usually four men battling it out at the net every chance they get, staying at the back is not always a great position. A few well-timed dodges and poaches can change the game within the first three shots of the point, and while Haase and Nedovysov did play well, they were one game behind Balaji and Reyes-Varela.
The opportunity to serve at the very beginning of the game proved to be advantageous for Balaji, allowing him to command shot selection and placement, to get the best of their rivals. sriram balaji aus open
While his contemporary and peer Rithvik Bollipalli crashed out with his partner Ryan Seggerman yesterday, Balaji seemed to keep the Indian community’s hopes alive.
Victory in style! 🇮🇳🤝🇲🇽
N Sriram Balaji and Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela breeze past Haase-Nedovyesov with a 6-4, 6-3 win in their Australian Open opener. On to the next challenge.🎾🔥 #Teamwork #AO2025 #Mensdoubles pic.twitter.com/HhnINsxLNG
— All India Tennis Association (@AITA__Tennis) January 16, 2025
Bollipalli and Seggerman (USA) seemed to have a close first set, losing only in the tie break but failed to capitalise on crucial points. The second seemed closer during the games but duo from Netherlands and UK seemed a tad bit more in command of the point.
More about Aus Open here
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