Yuki Bhambri Poised to Become India's Top Doubles Tennis Player

Yuki Bhambri is set to ascend as India's top doubles tennis player after securing victory at the Miami Open. The 32-year-old veteran, in partnership with Nuno Borges, triumphed over Rohan Bopanna and Ivan Dodig, paving the way for his rise in the ATP doubles rankings.

In a notable shift in Indian tennis hierarchy, veteran Yuki Bhambri is on the verge of being named India's top doubles player after a significant victory at the Miami Open over compatriot Rohan Bopanna. This triumph will see Bhambri ascend to the number one position following the release of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) doubles rankings at the end of the Miami Open, according to Olympics.com.

During the Miami Open, Bhambri, alongside his partner Nuno Borges from Portugal, defeated the pair of Bopanna and Croatia's Ivan Dodig with sets of 6-4, 3-6, 10-7 in the round of 32. They are now poised to challenge Czech player Adam Pavlasek and the UK's Jamie Murray in the round of 16.

This victory propelled Bhambri to 29th in the live ATP doubles rankings, while Bopanna, a two-time Grand Slam champion with 26 tour-level titles, dropped to 43. Bopanna, the Miami Open defending champion from last year's win with Matthew Ebden, has been India's number-one doubles player since October 2019. However, Bhambri's current form, highlighted by his ATP 500 title in Dubai with Alexei Popyrin, marks a new chapter.

Remarkably, Bhambri and Popyrin orchestrated a comeback victory against reigning US Open and Australian Open doubles champions Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten at the Dubai final. They also pulled off an upset against top seeds Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic at the Qatar Open last month.

Previously celebrated as the 2009 Australian Open junior boys champion and a former Indian singles number one, Bhambri twice broke into the top 100 of men's singles, peaking at 83 in April 2018. After deciding to focus on doubles in 2023, alongside his latest acclaim in Dubai, Bhambri has clinched three ATP titles at the 250 level. (ANI)

(With inputs from agencies.)