Sriram Balaji and Neil Oberleitner endured a difficult passage in their Australian Open Round 2 encounter after leading 5–4 in the opening set, eventually losing 9 of the final 10 games against the formidable duo of Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic, both former World No. 1s.
At 5–5 in the first set of the Round 2 clash, Arevalo applied sustained pressure by targeting Balaji’s serve with aggressive returns, forcing errors and unsettling the Indo-Austrian pair. A double fault from Balaji further compounded the pressure. Still, Balaji and Oberleitner showed grit in the following game, earning and converting a crucial break point at 6–5.
Ultimately, the experience of Arevalo and Pavic proved decisive in the Australian Open Round 2 match. Between them, the pair owns an impressive nine Grand Slam titles, with Pavic claiming seven and Arevalo two, underlining the pedigree that carried them through the contest.
