Tennis
US Open 2026: Indian campaign ends as Sriram Balaji exits in Round 2
Sriram Balaji and Evan King lost in straight sets.
Sriram Balaji in action at the 2026 Wimbledon. (Photo credits: JioHotstar)
India's campaign at the final tennis Grand Slam of the year, 2026 US Open, came to an end in the second round as Sriram Balaji and his American partner Evan King crashed out in the men's doubles second round.
Balaji and King, ranked 53rd, lost to 12th seeds Hugo Nys of Monaco and Edouard Roger-Vasselin 4-6, 5-7 in straight sets.
The Indo-American pair had their serve broken in the eighth game of the first set and they never managed to return the favour, losing it 4-6.
The second saw both pairs hold their serve until the 12th game before Balaji and King were broken as the opponents took a 6-5 lead.
Nys and Roger-Vasselin served out the match in the next game, closing the contest in an hour and 28 minutes.
Earlier in the competition, Balaji and King had saved six match points as they beat Sander Arends and David Pel of the Netherlands in the opening round in two hours and 56 minutes.
Elsewhere, the two other Indians in action in men's doubles, Yuki Bhambri and Anirudh Chandrasekhar, had crashed out of contention after losing their first round matches.