Mexican Open: Balaji and Varela upset the second seed in the opening round

Sriram Balaji and his Mexican partner, Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela, knocked out reigning Wimbledon champion Jan Zielinski of Poland and his partner Sander Gille at the Mexican Open on Wednesday.

Balaji and Miguel secured a straight-set victory (6-4, 6-2) against the second-seeded Polish-Belgian duo of Zielinski and Gille in the first round of this ATP 500 tournament.

Zielinski and Gille entered the tournament after back-to-back finals on the ATP tour. Zielinski was also the defending champion, having won the title last year alongside Hugo Nys of Indonesia.

A dominant game

The Indo-Mexican pair entered the tournament as wildcards and showcased their class by dominating the opening-round match, winning in straight sets against the higher-ranked duo.

Balaji and Varela faced a breakpoint in the fourth game of the first set but quickly turned the tide, securing a break in the very next game. They then won eight consecutive points to take a 4-2 lead.

Maintaining their momentum, they comfortably held serve in their next two games to clinch the opening set 6-4.

The second set saw them make a strong start with an early break in the opening game. The Polish-Belgian duo struggled to mount a comeback and eventually conceded another break in the seventh game, losing the set 2-6.

Balaji and Varela will now face another wildcard pairing—Mexico's Hans Hach Verdugo and JJ Tracy of the USA—in the second round on Thursday.