N. Sriram Balaji and Austrian partner Neil Oberleitner pushed 4th seeds and former World No. 1s Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic to 5-5 in a tense opening set before falling 5-7, 1-6 in Round 2 at Melbourne Park.
N. Sriram Balaji · Australian Open 2026 Men’s Doubles
Round 2 Run| Round | Match | Score | Result | Match Breakdown |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R1 | N. Sriram Balaji (IND) / Neil Oberleitner (AUT) d. Pierre-Hugues Herbert (FRA) / Jordan Thompson (AUS) | 7-6(4), 3-6, 7-6(10-8) | WON | Stunned former Grand Slam champions in 10-8 match breaker |
| R2 | N. Sriram Balaji (IND) / Neil Oberleitner (AUT) l. (4)Marcelo Arevalo (ESA) / Mate Pavic (CRO) | 5-7, 1-6 | LOST | Led 5-4 in the opening set before 4th seeds pulled away |
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.