French Open 2026: Yuki Bhambri makes second round in mixed doubles at Roland Garros

India’s Yuki Bhambri and his partner Alexandra Panova advanced to the second round of the mixed doubles event at the French Open 2026 tennis tournament on Thursday.

Yuki Bhambri and Panova beat the Netherlands’ David Pel and Ukraine’s Lyudmyla Kichenok 7(7)-6(2), 7(7)-6(5) in a tightly-contested first-round match at Roland Garros, which lasted an hour and 50 minutes.

Panova and Bhambri held their nerve in both tie-breaks to seal victory. They clinched the opening set after Pel and Kichenok committed three unforced errors in the tie-break.

The second set was equally competitive, with the Indian tennis player and Panova saving a breakpoint in the seventh game before pulling away in the tie-break with a series of clean winners.

Yuki Bhambri and Alexandra Panova will next face fourth seeds Desirae Krawczyk of the United States and Great Britain’s Neal Skupski in the second round on Saturday.

Yuki Bhambri will also compete in the second round of the men’s doubles along with his Kiwi partner Michael Venus. The Indo-New Zealand tennis pair will take on the fifth-seeded Italian duo of Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori on Friday.

Meanwhile, India’s Anirudh Chandrasekar and Japan’s Takeru Yuzuki bowed out of the men’s doubles first-round after suffering a 6-3, 6(4)-(7)7, 7(10)-6(3) defeat to Switzerland’s Jakub Paul and Great Britain’s Marcus Willis in a clash lasting two hours and 45 minutes.

Paul and Willis dominated the opening set, breaking Chandrasekar and Yuzuki in the third and ninth games.

The Indo-Japanese pair, who entered the draw as the alternate pair, responded strongly in the second set and forced a decider after edging the tie-break despite missing set points in the 10th game.

The final set turned into another close contest after Paul and Willis failed to convert break points in the 11th game but stayed composed in the deciding tiebreak to seal victory.

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