Indian tennis players N. Sriram Balaji and Yuki Bhambri made winning starts to their French Open 2026 men’s doubles campaigns with solid first-round victories at Roland Garros.
Balaji, alongside Brazil’s Marcelo Demoliner, defeated Robin Haase and Constantin Frantzen in a hard-fought three-set match. The Indo-Brazilian pair won the opening set 6-3 before losing the second set 4-6. They regained momentum in the decider and sealed a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 victory to progress into the second round.
Yuki Bhambri and his partner Michael Venus of New Zealand also advanced comfortably after beating Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo and Mariano Kestelboim in straight sets. Bhambri and Venus edged a close opening set 7-5 and then dominated the second set 6-2 to complete the win in confident fashion.
Positive start for Indian players
With no Indian player featuring in the singles main draw this year, the country’s hopes at Roland Garros are focused on doubles. Both Bhambri and Balaji delivered strong performances in their opening matches and kept India’s challenge alive in Paris.
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Bhambri has been one of India’s most consistent doubles players in recent seasons and entered the tournament with good form on the ATP Tour.
🇮🇳 India in Doubles Round 1 action at Roland-Garros 2026 💪
— Indian Tennis Daily (ITD) (@IndTennisDaily) May 26, 2026
🇮🇳 Sriram Balaji / 🇧🇷 Marcelo Demoliner won 6-3 4-6 6-3
🇮🇳 Yuki Bhambri / 🇳🇿 Michael Venus won 7-5 6-2
📸: @MariaAChico
More photos: https://t.co/AHDGu5W7tr pic.twitter.com/Bhz3do5ujk
Balaji has also built a solid reputation on the doubles circuit with several strong performances at international events.
Focus shifts to second round
The opening-round victories will give both Indian players confidence heading into the next stage of the tournament. Their ability to handle pressure moments and maintain consistency proved important in securing the wins.
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As the competition moves deeper into the tournament, Bhambri and Balaji will look to continue their momentum and aim for strong runs at the clay-court Grand Slam. Indian tennis fans will now hope the duo can build on this positive start and deliver more success at Roland Garros.
