LONDON — The 2026 Wimbledon Championships delivered an early shock for Indian tennis fans as the Indo-New Zealand duo of Yuki Bhambri and Michael Venus suffered a surprising straight-sets defeat in their opening match.

The pair bowed out early in the Round of 64 after failing to find their rhythm against the experienced combination of four-time Grand Slam champion Jean-Julien Rojer (Netherlands) and Theodore Winegar (USA).

Match Summary: Clinical Rojer and Winegar Dominate

Bhambri and Venus entered the grass-court major with high expectations but struggled to break through their opponents’ resilient service games.

Rojer and Winegar broke the Indo-New Zealand pair in the sixth game of the first set to comfortably claim it 6-3. The second set followed a similar script, with Bhambri and Venus dropping a crucial service game in the seventh game. Unforced errors, including seven double faults from Bhambri and Venus, ultimately sealed their fate as the Dutch-American duo closed out the match in straight sets.

Wimbledon Men’s Doubles Result

• [R64] 🇮🇳 Y. Bhambri / 🇳🇿 M. Venus l. 🇧🇪 J.J. Rojer / 🇺🇸 T. Winegar 3-6, 4-6

With this result, India’s men’s doubles hopes at SW19 came to a swift conclusion alongside the opening-round exit of N. Sriram Balaji and Marcelo Demoliner. Rojer and Winegar will advance into the second round of the championships.