Tennis
French Open: Balaji-Martinez advance to pre-quarterfinals
India's N Sriram Balaji and his Mexican partner Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela Martinez advanced to the French Open pre-quarterfinals after a thrilling three-set victory.
India's N Sriram Balaji and his Mexican partner, Miguel Martinez, advanced to the pre-quarterfinals of the French Open on Saturday. The duo defeated the French pairing of Dan Added and Theo Arribage in a hard-fought match on Saturday, winning the contest 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 in an hour and 42 minutes.
Balaji, a strong contender for the Paris Olympics doubles team alongside Rohan Bopanna, had achieved his first French Open victory at the clay-court Grand Slam on Friday. The Indo-Mexican combo defeated American Reese Stalder and Dutch player Sem Verbeek in straight sets.
Balaji and Martinez could face Australian Open champions Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden in the pre-quarterfinals, provided Bopanna and Ebden win their second-round match against the Brazilian pairing of Marcelo Zormann and Orlando Moraes Luz.
Meanwhile, Yuki Bhambri and his French partner Albano Olivetti made an early exit from the tournament, losing in the first round on Friday.