French Open 2023: India’s challenge ends after Yuki Bhambri, Saketh Myneni lose in 2nd round

On Friday, Yuki Bhambri and Saketh Myneni, representing India, were knocked out of the French Open 2023. They faced a defeat in the second round of the men’s doubles event at the Roland Garros Stadium in Paris, where they were defeated by Edouard Roger-Vasselin and Santiago Gonzalez.

In a match lasting one hour and 38 minutes, the unseeded Indian tennis pair suffered a 4-6, 5-7 defeat against the ninth-seeded team of Edouard Roger-Vasselin from France and Santiago Gonzalez from Mexico.

Edouard Roger-Vasselin, who has previously won the men’s doubles title at the French Open, joined forces with Santiago Gonzalez, currently ranked 20th in the ATP doubles rankings.

Yuki Bhambri and Saketh Myneni, positioned at the 74th and 75th spots in the ATP doubles rankings respectively, showcased a strong performance in the opening game and managed to secure a break against their higher-ranked opponents in the second set.

Despite a promising start, the Indian pair couldn’t sustain their momentum as they faced two breaks from Edouard Roger-Vasselin and Santiago Gonzalez, resulting in a 1-0 lead for the latter.

Roger-Vasselin and Gonzalez capitalized on the momentum during the first and fifth games, gaining an advantage. However, Bhambri and Myneni managed to break their opponents once again, leveling the match at 5-5.

Unfortunately, the two Indian tennis players were unable to regain their footing and lost the subsequent two games, resulting in their elimination from the Grand Slam in the second round.

In the earlier stages of the tournament, Yuki Bhambri and Saketh Myneni commenced their campaign on a positive note, securing a victory in their first match as a team. They triumphed over the local wildcard duo of Arthur Rinderknech and Enzo Couacaud with a convincing scoreline of 6-3, 6-2.

Yuki Bhambri and Saketh Myneni, who received wildcards to participate in the Australian Open 2023, faced an early exit as they were eliminated in the first round of the tournament.

The loss marked the conclusion of India’s participation in the French Open. On a previous Wednesday, the Indo-Australian pair of Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden, along with the Indian duo of N Sriram Balaji and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan, were also eliminated in the first round of the tournament.

Ankita Raina, the sole Indian representative in the singles category, faced elimination during the qualifying rounds.