Yuki Bhambri and Michael Venus exit Miami Open 2026 in first round

India’s Yuki Bhambri and his partner Michael Venus suffered a narrow first-round exit at the Miami Open 2026, going down in a closely fought doubles match.

The Indian-Kiwi pair lost 6-4, 5-7, 13-15 to the Australian-Dutch combination of John-Patrick Smith and Sander Arends in their Round of 32 clash, which lasted one hour and 52 minutes.

Bhambri and Venus started strongly, taking the opening set 6-4. However, their opponents responded in the second set, edging it 7-5 to force a deciding super tiebreak. The final set proved to be a tightly contested affair, with Smith and Arends eventually prevailing 15-13.

The match remained closely balanced throughout, with both teams converting two break points each. Smith and Arends capitalised on two of their four opportunities, while Bhambri and Venus converted both chances they created.

This was the first meeting between the two pairs, with little separating them across key statistical areas.

Bhambri had entered the tournament on the back of a strong run earlier this month, reaching the semifinals at Indian Wells alongside Andre Goransson. The 33-year-old had also enjoyed a standout 2025 season, including a semifinal appearance at the US Open with Venus.