Yuki Bhambri and Michael Venus’ campaign at the ATP 1000 Cincinnati Masters came to an end in the opening round, as the Indo-New Zealand pairing went down 6–4, 6–4 to Patrik Rikl and Adam Pavlásek.

Bhambri and Venus battled hard but were unable to overcome their opponents, who held their nerve in both sets to secure a straight-set victory and progress to the next round.

The defeat marks an early exit for the duo at one of the key hard-court events on the ATP Tour.