NEW DELHI: India's
N Sriram Balaji, partnering with Romanian Victor Vlad Cornea, secured a spot in the second round of the men's doubles at the Australian Open. The duo exhibited a strong performance in the first round, defeating the Italian pair of Matteo Arnaldi and Andrea Pellegrino with a scoreline of 6-3, 6-4.
Coming into the competition as an alternate pair, Balaji and Cornea showcased their chemistry and skill on the court. Ranked 79th and 69th in ATP doubles ranking, respectively, they now face a challenging encounter in the next round against the 10th seeds Marcelo Arevalo of El Salvador and Mate Pavic of Croatia.
This marks the second time Balaji has progressed to the second round of the Australian Open men's doubles, achieving the feat last year with fellow Indian Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan. Overall, it is the third time Balaji has entered the second round of a Grand Slam, having previously done so in Wimbledon 2018 with
Vishnu Vardhan.
(With inputs from PTI)