India’s N. Sriram Balaji and his Mexican partner Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela cruised into the second round of the Australian Open men’s doubles event with a commanding straight-sets victory over Robin Haase and Aleksandr Nedovyesov on Thursday.
The Indo-Mexican duo triumphed 6-4, 6-3 in just over an hour, showcasing consistency and power throughout the match. They fired 23 winners compared to their opponents’ 16. After exchanging breaks early in the first set, Balaji and Reyes-Varela seized control with a decisive break in the 10th game, securing the set.
In the second set, an unforced error by Haase and Nedovyesov allowed the pair to break in the eighth game, which they converted to close out the match comfortably.
In other doubles action, Rithvik Bollipalli, alongside American Ryan Seggerman, exited the tournament after a 6-7, 1-6 defeat to the sixth-seeded pair Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten.
On the singles side, Iga Swiatek advanced to the third round with a dominant 6-0, 6-2 win over Slovakia’s Rebecca Sramkova. Swiatek hit 16 winners and controlled the match, winning 20 of 26 extended rallies.
(With IANS input)