Tennis
Dubai Open: Yuki Bhambri- Alexei Popyrin upset World No. 1 pair
The undseeded Indo-Australian pair won 4-6, 6-7, 10-3 in the opening round.
India’s Yuki Bhambri and Australia’s Alexei Popyrin knocked out top seeds Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic in the Round of 16 at the 2025 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Tuesday.
The unseeded Indian-Australian pair won 4-6, 6-7, 10-3 in a contest that lasted little over an hour to advance to the men’s doubles quarterfinals.
They now await the winners of another round of 16 match to be played between Rohan Bopanna (India)-Ivan Dodig (Croatia) and England’s Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool.
Interestingly, Tuesday’s victory is Bhambri’s second over the top seeds, but with a different partner.
The Indian partnered with Croatia’s Ivan Dodig to dominate world no 1 pair Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic to a thrilling victory in Doha last week. The Indian, however, crashed out in the semifinals.
On Tuesday, Bhambri and Popyrin struggled early with their opponents taking the first set 6-4. The Indo-Australian pair soon found their rhythm in the second set, breaking their higher-ranked opponents to force a decider.
Bhambri and Popyrin hit 6 aces as compared to their opponents' four. In the decisive super tiebreak, Bhambri and Popyrin completely dominated the court, sealing the set 10-3.
