Melbourne, Jan. 22 -- India shuttler N Sriram Balaji advanced to the second round of the men's doubles at the Australian Open 2026, while India's Yuki Bhambri suffered a first-round exit in the mixed doubles event on Thursday.
Balaji, partnering Austria's Neil Oberleitner as late alternates, pulled off a notable upset by defeating Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Australia's Jordan Thompson in a marathon contest. Herbert is a career men's doubles Grand Slam winner, while Thompson was part of the 2024 US Open-winning pair.
The Indo-Austrian duo prevailed 7-6(4), 3-6, 7-6(8) in a gripping encounter lasting two hours and 43 minutes.
Fresh from their title win at the Nonthaburi Challenger II in Bangkok last week, Balaji and Oberleitner ma...