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The pair of Yuki Bhambri and Albano Olivetti bowed out of the first round of the ongoing Australia Open 2025 as they lost to the Australian duo Tristan Schoolkate and Adam Walton in the first round on Wednesday.
Bhambri, a silver medal winner in singles at the 2010 Youth Olympics, and Olivetti went down in straight sets, losing 6-2, 7(7)-6(3) against the Australian wildcards at Melbourne Park. Bhambri, 32, and Olivetti, 33, were broken in the fourth game on the Indian's serve as the Australian pair took a 3-1 lead. The Indo-French duo had an opportunity to bounce back in the very next game but Schoolkate and Walton saved a break point before extending their lead to 4-1. The Aussie duo pressed their advantage and broke Bhambri once again to close the first set eight games in. The second set saw Bhambri and Olivetti squander two break points in the opening game, which would eventually prove detrimental to their cause. Both Bhambri and Olivetti as well as Schoolkate and Walton would hold their serves for the remainder of the second set to force a tie-breaker, which the Australians won 7-3 to secure their victory. After Rohan Bopanna exited the men's doubles event on Tuesday and Bhambri's first-round ouster on Wednesday, India's hopes in the draw now rest on N Sriram Balaji and Rithvik Bollipalli. Balaji will team up with Mexico's Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela while Bollipalli is partnering with USA's Ryan Seggerman in the first Grand Slam of the year. Both pairs are scheduled to play on Thursday. Rohan Bopanna and Shuai Zhang of the People's Republic of China, a two-time Grand Slam champion and former World No. 2, will also be seen in action in mixed doubles. In singles, Sumit Nagal was eliminated in the first round by Czechia's Tomas Machac. (ANI)
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