US Open: Double first-round blow for India, Yuki Bhambri and Anirudh Chandrasekar knocked out

It was a disappointing day for the Indian contingent at Flushing Meadows, as both Yuki Bhambri and Anirudh Chandrasekar crashed out of the US Open 2026 men’s doubles event in the opening round.

Reigning semi-finalists Yuki Bhambri and his Kiwi partner Michael Venus suffered an early exit after falling 7(7)-6(4), 7(7)-6(3) to the unseeded American duo of Ryan Seggerman and Patrik Trhac. Playing on the hard courts of New York, the World No. 32 Indian and Venus failed to replicate their deep run from last year’s tournament, succumbing in a tight contest that lasted an hour and 43 minutes.

US Open: Bhambri, Anirudh eliminated in Men’s doubles first round

The opening set turned into an intense, service-dominated battle where neither side conceded a break. With nothing to separate the two teams during regulation play, Seggerman and Trhac held their nerve in the high-stakes tie-break, taking it 7-4 to gain the upper hand.

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Seggerman-Trhac get the better of Bhambri-Venus

Carrying momentum into the second set, Bhambri and Venus struck first by breaking the American tandem in the second game, quickly establishing a comfortable 4-1 cushion. However, Seggerman and Trhac mounted a resilient comeback, winning three consecutive games to level the contest at 4-4 and force yet another tie-break.

The home favorites seized complete control during the second tie-break, powering through 7-3 to wrap up a straight-sets victory.

The early exit marks a sharp contrast to Bhambri’s stellar campaign in New York the previous year, where he posted his career-best Grand Slam performance by reaching the final four alongside Venus before ultimately falling in a three-set thriller to Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski.

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Chandrasekar-Liutarevich fall to Fery-Paris

In another first-round fixture, Anirudh Chandrasekar (ranked 84th) and his Belarusian teammate Ivan Liutarevich (ranked 89th) were eliminated following a hard-fought three-set tussle. The pair fell 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 to the British combination of Arthur Fery and Joshua Paris.

The early exits of Bhambri, Chandrasekar, and Niki Poonacha leave N Sriram Balaji as the lone Indian contender remaining in the main draw at Flushing Meadows. The Paris 2024 Olympian kept his campaign alive alongside American partner Evan King on Friday, pulling off a dramatic first-round escape by saving six match points to edge past the Dutch tandem of Sander Arends and David Pel.

Balaji and King now face a stern test in the second round on Sunday, where they are slated to clash against 12th seeds Hugo Nys of Monaco and Edouard Roger-Vasselin of France.