Tennis
Sriram Balaji, Evan King save six match points to reach US Open R2
Sriram Balaji and Evan King rallied from a set down and saved six match points before beating Sander Arends and David Pel 3-6, 7-6(7), 7-6(10) at the US Open.
Sriram Balaji in action at the 2026 Wimbledon. (Photo credits: JioHotstar)
N Sriram Balaji and American partner Evan King produced a remarkable escape act at the US Open, saving six match points on their way to a 3-6, 7-6(7), 7-6(10) victory over Dutch pair Sander Arends and David Pel in the men's doubles opening round.
The unseeded Indo-American pair needed two hours and 56 minutes on Court 10 to complete the comeback after dropping the opening set.
Arends and Pel, who arrived in New York as the reigning Libéma Open champions and French Open quarterfinalists, looked on course for victory when they took the first set 6-3. But Balaji and King refused to let the match slip away.
They saved two match points in the second-set tiebreak before forcing a deciding super tiebreak. The Dutch pair again came within touching distance of victory, including three match points while leading 6-5 in the third set, but Balaji and King survived.
The Indo-American duo eventually held their nerve in the deciding tiebreak to win 12-10 and seal a place in the second round.
Balaji continues late-career surge
The victory adds another significant chapter to Balaji's 2026 season. The 36-year-old Indian, who reached a career-high doubles ranking of No. 54 in August, has already made the French Open quarterfinals this year.
Balaji has been a Davis Cup player for India since 2017 and serves as a Naib Subedar in the Indian Army's Madras Engineer Group. His partnership with King, a former world No. 14 in doubles, has now delivered a memorable Grand Slam win against a higher-profile Dutch pairing.
For King, the victory is another step in an established Grand Slam career. The American reached the French Open semifinals in 2025 and has won three ATP Tour doubles titles.
Balaji and King will next face 12th seeds Hugo Nys of Monaco and Édouard Roger-Vasselin of France in the Round of 32. The seeded pair have already won their opening match.
The win also keeps India's men's doubles challenge alive at Flushing Meadows following the retirement of Rohan Bopanna late last year.
Yuki Bhambri, partnering New Zealand's Michael Venus, is also in the draw, while Niki Kaliyanda Poonacha and Gonzalo Escobar were eliminated in the opening round.
For Balaji, however, the immediate focus will be on carrying the momentum from one of the most dramatic wins of his Grand Slam career into the next round.