Australian Open: N Balaji & Miguel Reyes-Varela Reach Men's Doubles Second Round

Synopsis

On January 16, India's N Sriram Balaji and Mexican Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela reached the second round of the Australian Open men's doubles with a straight-sets victory over Robin Haase and Aleksandr Nedovyesov. Balaji's impressive performance helped secure their win.

Key Takeaways

N Sriram Balaji and Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela progressed to the second round.
They won against Robin Haase and Aleksandr Nedovyesov in straight sets.
The final score was 6-4, 6-3.
The duo showcased superior power with 23 winners.
Rithvik Bollipalli's exit marks the third Indian elimination.

Melbourne, Jan 16 (NationPress) India's N Sriram Balaji and his Mexican partner Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela advanced to the second round of the Australian Open men's doubles competition, securing a convincing straight-sets victory against Robin Haase and Aleksandr Nedovyesov on Thursday.

The Indo-Mexican team of N. Sriram Balaji and Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela triumphed over the Dutch-Kazakh pairing with a score of 6-4, 6-3 in just over an hour during their opening match.

Balaji and Reyes-Varela showcased their superior consistency and power, recording 23 winners compared to their opponents' 16. After breaking serve in the sixth game of the first set, they were briefly broken back but regained control with a decisive backhand winner in the 10th game, clinching the set.

During the second set, a crucial unforced error by Haase and Nedovyesov allowed Balaji and Reyes-Varela to secure a break in the eighth game, which they expertly capitalized on to comfortably close out the set and the match.

In other news, Rithvik Bollipalli became the third Indian player to exit the men’s doubles event, following Rohan Bopanna and Yuki Bhambri. Bollipalli and his American partner Ryan Seggerman fell to the sixth-seeded duo of Finland’s Harri Heliovaara and the UK’s Henry Patten, losing 6-7, 1-6.

Earlier in the day, Iga Swiatek moved on to the third round after a comfortable 6-0, 6-2 victory against Slovakia's Rebecca Sramkova.

In mild and breezy conditions, Swiatek tallied 16 winners against 14 unforced errors, facing no break points. She dominated the rallies, winning 20 of 26 exchanges that extended to five shots or more.

"I felt really solid today. It was a really efficient game. I’m happy that I maintained my focus because sometimes, when the game seems easy, it can lead to problems later on due to a loss of concentration. But I’m pleased that I was solid throughout," Swiatek commented.