India’s Yuki Bhambri and his Swedish partner Andre Garansson secured a spot in the second round of the Australian Open 2026 men’s doubles by defeating local wild cards James Duckworth and Cruz Hewitt, son of former World No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt. The Indo-Swedish duo, seeded 10th, triumphed with a 6-3, 6-4 victory in just 57 minutes. Next, they will face either Mexico’s Santiago Gonzalez and the Netherlands’ David Pel or the Brazilian pair of Marcelo Melo and Fernando Romboli.
Bhambri and Garansson displayed dominance right from the beginning, showcasing an impressive serving performance. They maintained control in the first set by holding four of their five service games flawlessly, dropping only one point in the ninth game. A crucial break in the eighth game against Duckworth and Hewitt sealed the set in their favor.
The duo continued their strong performance into the second set, once again winning four of their five service games to love. A pivotal break in the seventh game was sufficient to conclude the match in their favor. Bhambri’s notable Australian Open achievement was in 2014, reaching the third round with New Zealand’s Michael Venus, while his best Grand Slam performance was last year, making it to the semi-finals at the US Open.
In the mixed doubles event, Bhambri will team up with 2018 Wimbledon champion Nicole Melichar-Martinez of America. They are set to face the sixth-seeded duo of Zhang Shuai from China and Tim Putz from Germany in the opening round on Thursday. Another Indian participant, Niki Kaliyanda Poonacha, exited the men’s doubles draw in the first round alongside his Thai partner Pruchya Isaro, losing 7-6(3), 7-5 to Spain’s Pedro Martínez and Jaume Munar on Tuesday.
