India’s Yuki Bhambri eyes winning starts to 2026 Australian Open campaign

by Devesh Jaganath | by Devesh Jaganath

image India’s Yuki Bhambri eyes winning starts to 2026 Australian Open campaign
The 2026 Australian Open is heating up, and Indian tennis fans will tune in on Wednesday hoping to see Yuki Bhambri make a winning start to his campaign alongside his doubles partner Andre Goransson. Bhambri is India’s only representative left at the tournament following Niki Kaliyanda Poonacha’s elimination on Tuesday.

Bhambri, Goransson carry 10th seed into Australian Open

The 2026 Australian Open marks the first time in several years that India will not be represented in either the men’s or women’s singles events, with the likes of Sumit Nagal and Sahaja Yamalapalli failing to meet the qualifying cutoff threshold. 

However, the nation does have one major player at the year’s first Grand Slam event, Yuki Bhambri, who teams up with doubles partner Andre Goransson. The duo are ranked 21st globally and is seeded 10th heading into the tournament. 

The Indo-Swedish pairing kick off their campaign in Melbourne against hometown duo James Duckworth and Cruz Hewitt, and you can find all the key stats and insights for the first round doubles matches in our Australian Open predictions. 

Bhambri and Goransson are carrying solid momentum Down Under, having reached the semi-final of the ASB Classic in Auckland. Bhambri also got to the 2025 US Open semi-final with New Zealand’s Michael Venus. 

In terms of the draw, Bhambri and Goransson feature in the bottom half (section 3) of the 64-team matchups. Their potential path could see them face fifth seeds Tim Puetz and Kevin Krawietz of Germany in Round three. 

Niki Kaliyanda Poonacha bows out in Grand Slam opener

India’s Niki Kaliyanda Poonacha secured a wild-card entry to the 2026 Australian Open after winning the Asia-Pacific Wildcard Playoff back in November last year. This is his debut at a Grand Slam event, and he partnered with Thailand’s Pruchya Isaro.

Unfortunately, despite a spirited effort, Poonacha’s tournament came to an end in the first round in the early hours of Tuesday, as he and Isaro suffered defeat to Spanish pair Pedro Martinez and Jaume Muar 7-6 (7-3), 7-5 in just under an hour and a half.