N Sriram Balaji ousted in second round of men’s doubles

India’s N Sriram Balaji and his Mexican partner Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela crashed out in the second round of the men's doubles tennis event in the Australian Open 2025 on Saturday.

The Indo-Mexican lost 7(7)-6(1), 4-6, 6-3 against the Portuguese pair of Nuno Borges and Francisco Cabral at Melbourne Park.

Balaji and Reyes-Varela had two opportunities to break Borges and Cabral in the second game of the opening set but could not capitalise.

They also saved a break point in the 11th game while Borges and Cabral held serve in the next as the opening set went into a tie break, which Balaji and Reyes-Varela lost 7-1.

In the second set, Balaji, 65th in the ATP Rankings for doubles, and Reyes-Varela bounce back by breaking Nuno Borges and Francisco Cabral in the opening game.

Balaji-Varela then saved two break points in the fourth game and consolidated their serve for the rest of the set to draw level.

The final set of the match saw both pairs hold their serve until Balaji and Reyes-Varela were broken in the fourth game as Borges and Cabral took a 3-1 lead.

The Portuguese pair would go on to hold their serve for the rest of the match to close out the contest after two match-point opportunities.

Balaji and Reyes-Varela’s ouster in the second round also ends India’s men’s doubles campaign at the Australian Open 2025.

Earlier in the week, Rohan Bopanna and Colombia’s Nicolas Barrientos exited in the first round of the Australian Open after losing to Spain’s Pedro Martinez and Jaume Munar

Yuki Bhambri and his French partner Albano Olivetti also lost 6-2, 7(7)-6(3) against Australian wildcards Tristan Schoolkate and Adam Walton in the opening round.

Meanwhile, Rithvik Bollipalli and his partner Ryan Seggerman of the USA were beaten by sixth seeds Henry Patten of the United Kingdom and Finland’s Harri Heliovaara.

However, India’s mixed doubles challenge at the Australian Open is still alive after Rohan Bopanna and his mixed doubles partner Zhang Shuai of the People’s Republic of China made it through to the second round on Friday.

They beat French tennis player Kristina Mladenovic and Croatia’s Ivan Dodig 6-4, 6-4 in the first round of the season’s first tennis Grand Slam.

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