On a chilly Melbourne day that had spectators bundling up in jackets, the Indian tennis contingent experienced a rollercoaster of emotions at the Australian Open. The spotlight shone brightly on the alternate pairing of Sriram Balaji and his Austrian partner Neil Oberleitner, who delivered a thrilling performance to lift spirits.
Epic Doubles Battle Goes Down to the Wire
In a men's doubles first-round clash that stretched for two hours and forty-three minutes, Balaji and Oberleitner emerged victorious against the French-Australian duo of Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Jordan Thompson. The final scoreline read 7-6 (4), 3-6, 7-6 (8), reflecting the intense back-and-forth nature of the contest.
Sporting matching salmon-pink attire, the Indo-Austrian combination displayed remarkable resilience throughout the match. They established commanding leads of 6-2 and 8-5 during the decisive match tie-break, only to see their opponents mount a fierce comeback that narrowed the gap to 7-8. With tension mounting, Balaji produced a spectacular return winner on their second match point to seal the hard-fought victory.
Challenging Second Round Awaits
This impressive win sets up a formidable second-round challenge for Balaji and Oberleitner, who will now face the fourth-seeded pairing of Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic. This upcoming match promises to test their skills against one of the tournament's top-ranked doubles teams.
Mixed Fortunes for Other Indian Competitors
Meanwhile, Yuki Bhambri experienced contrasting results across different doubles categories. Partnering with Swedish player Andre Goransson, Bhambri advanced to the second round of men's doubles, where they will compete against Mexico's Santiago Gonzalez and Dutchman David Pel.
However, Bhambri's mixed doubles campaign with American partner Nicole Melichar-Martinez ended prematurely in the first round. Despite establishing an early 4-2 lead in the opening set against sixth seeds Shuai Zhang of China and Germany's Tim Puetz, the Indo-American pair couldn't maintain their momentum. Their opponents claimed the next four games and eventually secured a 6-4, 7-6 (3) victory.
Singles Disappointment for Basavareddy
In men's singles action, Indian-American player Nishesh Basavareddy, ranked 242nd in the world, saw his Australian Open journey conclude in the second round. Having successfully navigated the qualifying rounds to reach the main draw, Basavareddy faced fifteenth-seeded Russian Karen Khachanov. The match lasted just under two hours, with the final score reading 6-1, 6-4, 6-3 in favor of the higher-ranked opponent.
The Australian Open continues to provide dramatic moments for Indian tennis fans, with Balaji and Oberleitner's gritty performance standing out as a highlight of the tournament's early stages. As the competition progresses, all eyes will remain on how the remaining Indian representatives fare against increasingly challenging opposition.
