NEW YORK– India’s Yuki Bhambri entered uncharted territory on Tuesday, advancing to his first-ever Grand Slam quarterfinal at the US Open. Partnering with New Zealand’s Michael Venus, the 14th-seeded duo stunned fourth seeds Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz of Germany in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4.
Bhambri, ranked world No. 32 in doubles, achieved the milestone after several near misses. At last year’s US Open, he and Frenchman Albano Olivetti reached the pre-quarterfinals before bowing out to Spain’s Marcel Granollers and Argentina’s Horacio Zeballos.
The Indo-Kiwi team had earlier dispatched Colombia’s Gonzalo Escobar and Mexico’s Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela 6-1, 7-5 in the second round at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre to set up their clash with the German pair.
Bhambri and Venus will now face the experienced 11th seeds, American veteran Rajeev Ram and Croatia’s Nikola Mektic, for a place in the semifinals. Ram, 41, recently recorded his 500th career doubles win at Flushing Meadows, where he captured three consecutive US Open titles from 2021 to 2023 alongside Joe Salisbury.
While Bhambri’s breakthrough has provided a bright spot for Indian tennis, other compatriots made early exits. Rohan Bopanna and Monaco’s Romain Arneodo fell in the opening round, as did Arjun Kadhe and Ecuador’s Diego Hidalgo. On Sunday, Anirudh Chandrasekar and Vijay Sundar Prashanth’s campaign ended with a straight-sets defeat to Brazil’s Fernando Romboli and Australia’s John-Patrick Smith. (Source: IANS)
