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Sriram Balaji, alongside Argentina’s Guido Andreozzi, saw their US Open doubles campaign come to an end in the second round after a straight-sets defeat against the formidable duo of Michael Venus and Neal Skupski.
The final score of 6(4)-7, 4-6 reflected a tightly contested match, though it was ultimately a tale of missed opportunities for Balaji and Andreozzi. The pair defeated Kiwi-Mexican Marcus Daniell and Miguel Ángel Reyes-Varela in the first round.
The match started with both pairs holding serve, and Balaji-Andreozzi showing resilience against their highly experienced opponents. The opening set was neck-and-neck, with both teams trading games until the match proceeded into a tiebreak. Venus and Skupski, using their superior net play, edged out a 7-4 win in the tiebreak to take the first set.
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Moving into the second set, Sriram Balaji and Andreozzi showed flashes of brilliance, especially on serve, but were unable to break through when it mattered the most. While they fought valiantly, their only break point opportunity went begging, while Venus and Skupski capitalized on one of their seven break points to clinch the match. This was the turning point that sealed the fate of the Indian-Argentine pair, who ultimately went down 4-6 in the second set.
A look at the numbers behind Sriram Balaji-Guido Andreozzi's loss
Despite the loss, Sriram Balaji and Andreozzi put up a commendable performance. They fired three aces compared to two from Venus and Skupski, but also made four double faults, an area that likely hurt their rhythm.
The first serve percentages were close, with Balaji-Andreozzi landing 56 percent of their first serves in play, while Venus-Skupski hit 57 percent. On first serve points won, Venus and Skupski held a slight advantage, winning 82 percent of their points compared to Balaji-Andreozzi’s 73 percent.
On the return, the Indian-Argentine pair struggled, winning just 24 percent of the points on Venus-Skupski's serve. Meanwhile, their opponents converted 35 percent of their return points, applying consistent pressure. Break points also played a crucial role, with Balaji-Andreozzi failing to convert their sole opportunity, while Venus-Skupski converted one out of seven.
