How Did India's Yuki Bhambri Reach His First Grand Slam Quarterfinal?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Yuki Bhambri reaches his first Grand Slam quarterfinal.
- Partnership with Michael Venus leads to impressive victories.
- Defeated the fourth-seeded duo in a straight-set match.
- Upcoming match against seasoned players Rajeev Ram and Nikola Mektic.
- Rajeev Ram achieves 500 tour-level wins at the US Open.
New York, Sep 3 (NationPress) Yuki Bhambri from India, alongside his doubles partner Michael Venus of New Zealand, has successfully advanced to the men’s doubles quarterfinals at the US Open.
Ranked 14th, the pair achieved a remarkable victory over the fourth-seeded duo of Germany’s Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz with a score of 6-4, 6-4.
This marks Bhambri's first-ever entry into the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam, making it a significant milestone in his career as the top-ranked men’s doubles player from India, currently positioned at world No. 32.
In the previous year, Bhambri had teamed up with French player Albano Olivetti at the US Open, reaching the pre-quarterfinals but ultimately losing to Spain’s Marcel Granollers and Argentina’s Horacio Zeballos in straight sets.
Earlier in the tournament, Bhambri and Venus faced the unseeded pair of Colombia’s Gonzalo Escobar and Mexico’s Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela, winning decisively with a score of 6-1, 7-5 within one hour and twenty-five minutes at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre.
The Indo-Kiwi duo is set to compete against the 11th-seeded team comprising the 41-year-old American veteran Rajeev Ram and his partner Nikola Mektic from Croatia.
Ram and Mektic fought hard in their last match, needing three closely contested sets—almost three hours—to overcome the unseeded pairing of Brazil’s Fernando Romboli and Britain’s John-Patrick Smith, finishing with a score of 6-7(7), 7-5, 7-5.
It’s noteworthy that Ram achieved his 500th tour-level win during this tournament, a milestone reached at Flushing Meadows, where he secured three consecutive titles with Joe Salisbury from 2021 to 2023. He is now among the seventh active men to reach 500 tour-level doubles wins and the only active American to achieve this feat.
In contrast, Indian veteran Rohan Bopanna and his partner Romain Arneodo of Monaco were eliminated in the first round on Saturday. Additionally, Arjun Kadhe and his partner Diego Hidalgo from Ecuador also faced a first-round exit.
On Sunday, Anirudh Chandrasekar and Vijay Sundar Prashanth concluded their journey in the tournament with a defeat against Brazil’s Fernando Romboli and Australia’s John-Patrick Smith with a score of 6-4, 6-3.