Bhambri, Venus exit Miami Open after narrow loss

India’s Yuki Bhambri and his partner Michael Venus suffered a first-round exit at the Miami Open after a closely fought defeat on Tuesday.

The Indo-Kiwi duo went down 6-4, 5-7, 13-15 to the Australian-Dutch pair of John-Patrick Smith and Sander Arends in their round of 32 clash, which lasted one hour and 52 minutes.

The contest remained evenly balanced throughout, with both teams displaying strong serving and resilience. Smith and Arends capitalised on two of their four break point opportunities, while Bhambri and Venus managed to convert both the chances they created.

Despite pushing the match into a deciding super tie-break, the Indian-New Zealand pair fell just short in a thrilling finish, ending their campaign in the tournament.