Sriram Balaji and Marcelo Demoliner made a winning start to their Roland-Garros campaign, overcoming the German-Dutch duo of Constantin Frantzen and Robin Haase 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 in a contest that tested composure and adaptability across three sets.
The Indo-Brazilian duo came out with a clear blueprint — deep, aggressive returns to push Frantzen and Haase back, and a willingness to end points quickly at the net rather than let rallies develop. Balaji’s backhand was particularly sharp, his placements drawing errors and creating openings that the pair converted with efficiency. Serving wide kept their own holds comfortable, denying the opposition clean looks at returns and making the first and third sets relatively straightforward on serve.
The second set was where Frantzen and Haase found their footing, breaking the pattern and taking it 6-4. But Balaji and Demoliner did not deviate from what had been working — they came back out in the third with the same aggressive intent, the same deep returns, and the same hunger to be at the net. The strategy held, and so did their nerves.
Balaji’s serving in the closing stages was a cut above — big, well-placed, and almost impossible to attack. Combined with their net play, it gave Frantzen and Haase no route back into the match.
This opening-round victory gives the duo strong momentum heading into the second round at Roland-Garros 2026, with Balaji aiming to make a deep run in his fourth consecutive appearance at the event, while Demoliner will be eager to better his previous campaigns, in his ninth outing at the Paris major.