Auckland Open 2025: Bhambri and Olivetti fall short in Semis

Indian tennis player Yuki Bhambri and his French doubles partner Albano Olivetti lost in the semifinals of the Auckland Open 2025 on Friday. 

In the last four, the Indo-French pair faced Croatian Nikola Mektic and his Australian partner Micheal Venus. The pair couldn't hold on to their first-set win and had their advantage overturned, losing 2-1 (6-3, 1-6, 5-10). 

The match started on an even note, with both sets of players looking in good touch. At 3-3 in the first set, Bhambri and Olivetti took the upper hand, winning the next three games and the first set 6-3.

With a 1-0 advantage, the pair were in the driver's seat but Mektic and Venus stormed back into the match in the second set, giving their opponents no way back.

They breezed through the second set with ease, winning it 6-1 and drawing level in the match, forcing it to a decider.

The decider was once again all Mektic and Venus, with the duo riding on the momentum from their win in the previous set, and convincingly closed out the match, winning the decider 10-5 and advancing to the final.

While Bhambri and Olivetti will feel hard done by, it has been a good start for the pair in 2025, and with the Australia Open approaching, they should go into the first Grand Slam of the calendar year with a lot of confidence.