Yuki Bhambri-Andre Goransson roll into 2nd round of Australia Open 2026 with straight set win

India’s top-ranked men’s doubles player, Yuki Bhambri, made a strong start at the Australian Open 2026 alongside his Swedish partner, Andre Goransson. The 10th-seeded duo secured their spot in the second round with a clinical 6-3, 6-4 victory over Australian wild cards James Duckworth and Cruz Hewitt, the son of tennis legend Lleyton Hewitt. Bhambri, currently ranked world No. 21, and Goransson displayed remarkable efficiency, wrapping up the match in Melbourne in just 57 minutes.

Yuki Bhambri-Andre Goransson in Australian Open 2nd round

The Indo-Swedish pair dominated the contest through an exceptional serving performance. In the opening set, they were nearly untouchable on their own serve, winning four out of five service games on love. Their opponents only managed to take a single point against their serve in the ninth game. The breakthrough came in the eighth game, where Bhambri and Goransson broke the Australians' serve to pull ahead and claim the first set.

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This momentum carried into the second set, where the pair maintained their high level of play. They once again delivered four perfect service games without dropping a point, keeping the pressure firmly on the wild card duo. A decisive break of serve in the seventh game provided the final edge needed to seal the straight-sets win and advance in the tournament.

Bhambri-Goransson thrash Duckworth-Hewitt in straight sets

Looking ahead, the 10th-seeded duo of Bhambri and Goransson await their next opponents. They are scheduled to face either the Dutch-Mexican team of David Pel and Santiago Gonzalez or the Brazilian pair of Marcelo Melo and Fernando Romboli. Bhambri is currently chasing his best-ever finish in Melbourne; while he reached the third round in 2014 with Michael Venus, he enters this tournament with significant momentum following a career-best semi-final run at last year’s US Open.

Bhambri now carries the mantle as the sole Indian representative in the men’s doubles draw. His compatriot, Niki Kaliyanda Poonacha, exited the tournament on Tuesday following a hard-fought first-round match. Partnering with Thailand's Pruchya Isaro, Poonacha fell to the Spanish duo of Pedro Martínez and Jaume Munar in a tight 7-6(3), 7-5 contest.

Beyond the men's bracket, Bhambri is set to compete in the mixed doubles event alongside American star and 2018 Wimbledon champion Nicole Melichar-Martinez. This marks only his second Grand Slam appearance in the mixed category, following his debut at Wimbledon in 2025. The pair faces a challenging start to their campaign, as they are drawn against the sixth-seeded team of Zhang Shuai and Tim Putz.