MELBOURNE: India's N Sriram Balaji and his Mexican partner Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela advanced to the second round of the Australian Open with a commanding victory in straight sets over Robin Haase and Aleksandr Nedovyesov on Thursday.
The Indo-Mexican duo defeated the Dutch-Kazakh pair 6-4, 6-3 in just over an hour in their opening men's doubles clash.
Balaji and Reyes-Varela hit 23 winners compared to their opponents' 16, showcasing superior consistency and firepower.
After securing a break in the sixth game of the first set, Balaji and Reyes-Varela were immediately broken back. However, a decisive backhand winner in the 10th game allowed them to clinch the set.
In the second set, Haase and Nedovyesov committed a costly unforced error, gifting Balaji and Reyes-Varela a crucial break in the eight game. The Indo-Mexican pair capitalised on the opportunity, sealing the set and the match comfortably.
Meanwhile, Rithvik Bollipalli became the third Indian to exit the men's doubles event, following Rohan Bopanna and Yuki Bhambri.
Bollipalli and his American partner Ryan Seggerman lost 6-7, 1-6 to the sixth-seeded pair of Finland's Harri Heliovaara and the UK's Henry Patten.