Yuki Bhambri’s Roland-Garros mixed doubles debut couldn’t have thrown up a tougher opening test: a pair featuring a 2025 Wimbledon men’s doubles finalist and a two-time Grand Slam doubles champion. He and partner Alexandra Panova came through it 7-6(2) 7-6(5). Shortly after the match, Bhambri sat down with ITD’s Prateek Chachra to break down the win, the conditions, and what a fourth victory over David Pel this year says about where his game is at.

Prateek: Yuki, great win. What are your thoughts on the match?

Yuki: Interesting, first mixed doubles at the French Open, so obviously a bit of a new experience. It was a tough match but a good one. I thought we were in the lead and deserving to win as well, so glad to pull that off in two sets.

Prateek: How did this pairing with Panova come about?

Yuki: Just sort of looking around and finding people with similar rankings to get into tournaments. Panova has obviously been on the tour for quite many years and has done incredibly well. She was free, and I’ve seen her the last few times I’ve been playing at slams, so I reached out and she was gracious enough to play.

Prateek: There was a moment, around 1-0, 40-30 — where there seemed to be an argument on court. What was that about?

Yuki: Just a line call. The ball was out so we were requesting the umpire to check the mark, and that was what the argument was about.

Prateek: In the second set there was a game where you had multiple break points and couldn’t convert. That must have been pressurising.

Yuki: Yeah, I think we were 40-love up in one of the games at 4-all. But the main thing is we were always creating chances. They also tried hard in the second set, but we had good composure, stayed competitive, and kept holding serve — which eventually got us through the match.

Prateek: One thing that caught my eye — both teams had their women serving first in set one, which is unusual in mixed doubles. Any particular reason for that?

Yuki: The wind was blowing in from a certain direction and there was a little bit of cloud cover. That’s the reason both women served from that end — to help them a little on serve, with the sun coming into the eyes on the other side. With the wind blowing that way and the sun factoring in, it just made more sense for the women to start their serves from that side.

Prateek: This is your fourth win over David Pel this year. What’s the secret sauce?

Yuki: Just managing through. It’s always been close matches. Doubles is just about taking one match at a time, and happy to get through.

Prateek: You’re playing both mixed doubles and men’s doubles here. How are you managing the physical and mental recovery between matches, especially with another match tomorrow?

Yuki: It helps to play on different days. Playing two matches in a day would probably be a bit tough. I’m used to playing a match every day, so far so good. I’m hoping the schedule stays that way. We have a tough round tomorrow in the men’s doubles, so the focus is on that. Hopefully we’ll be able to get through, so I get more opportunities to play every day here.

Prateek: You face fourth seeds Krawczyk and Skupski next in the mixed doubles. Thoughts on that?

Yuki: I hadn’t looked that far ahead, so good to know. I don’t think it matters so much who is seeded. Neil Skupski is a great doubles player, and I’m sure his partner is as well. It’s going to be a tough fight, but we’re just going to go out there, keep enjoying ourselves, and keep fighting.

Prateek: Any last words for the Indian fans rooting for you?

Yuki: Great support out there every day. Every match here is a tough one, so hoping we can get through the next few rounds.