French Open 2025: Three Indians including Rohan Bopanna sail into men's doubles second round with comprehensive wins

Three India's star tennis players Rohan Bopanna, Yuki Bhambri and N. Sriram Balaji were on a roll as they advanced to their respective men's doubles second round in the ongoing French Open 2025.

Indian tennis ace Rohan Bopanna, partnering with Czechia's Adam Pavlasek, kicked off their French Open 2025 campaign with a hard-fought victory. They overcame the American duo of Robert Cash and James Tracy in a thrilling three-set encounter, winning 7-6 (8-6), 5-7, 6-1 on Wednesday. Despite an early missed break point opportunity and a late break against them in the first set, the Indo-Czech pair showed resilience, breaking back immediately and clinching the tie-break. The second set saw a similar pattern of tight holds, with Bopanna and Pavlasek failing to convert crucial break chances, ultimately costing them the set. However, they dominated the deciding set, securing early breaks to seal their spot in the second round.

Meanwhile, India's top-ranked doubles player, Yuki Bhambri, alongside American partner Robert Galloway, also battled their way into the second round. They defeated the Dutch-German combination of Robin Haase and Hendrik Jebens with a score of 6-3, 6-7 (8-10), 6-3. Bhambri and Galloway started strong, showcasing dominant serves and volleys to comfortably take the first set. The second set was a much closer affair, culminating in a tense tie-break where the Indo-American duo missed a match point before losing it. However, they quickly regrouped in the final set, securing a crucial break and holding serve confidently to close out the match and advance.

Adding to India's success, N. Sriram Balaji and his Mexican partner Miguel Ángel Reyes-Varela had a more straightforward path to the second round. They secured a dominant 6-2, 6-1 victory over Argentina's Camilo Ugo Carabelli and China's Yunchaokete Bu. However, it wasn't a clean sweep for the Indian contingent. Rithvik Bollipalli's quest for his maiden Grand Slam main draw win continues, as he and his Colombian partner Nicolas Barrientos were knocked out in the first round. They faced a tough challenge from Canada's Gabriel Diallo and Great Britain's Jacob Fearnley, struggling with both their serves and returns, ultimately losing 6-0, 6-2 in just 56 minutes.