Indian player N Sriram Balaji and his Romanian partner Victor Vlad Cornea have advanced to the second round of the men's doubles at the Australian Open. They secured victory in the first round by defeating the Italian duo of Matteo Arnaldi and Andrea Pellegrino with a score of 6-3, 6-4.
Balaji and Cornea, entered the competition as an alternate pair, will now face the 10th-seeded duo of Marcelo Arevalo from El Salvador and Mate Pavic from Croatia in the next round. Balaji, ranked 79th in ATP doubles, partnered with Cornea, ranked 69th, for this tournament.
This marks the second time that Balaji has progressed to the second round of the Australian Open, with his previous achievement occurring last year alongside fellow Indian Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan. Overall, it is the third time Balaji has entered the second round of a Grand Slam, having previously done so at Wimbledon 2018 with Vishnu Vardhan.
(With Agency Inputs)
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