US Open 2025: Yuki Bhambri storms into maiden Grand Slam doubles semi-finals

New York: India’s Yuki Bhambri continued his dream run at the US Open 2025, advancing to his first-ever Grand Slam semifinal in men’s doubles along with partner Michael Venus of New Zealand.

The Indo-Kiwi duo stunned 11th seeds Nikola Mekti? of Croatia and American veteran Rajeev Ram 6-3, 7-6, 6-3 in a high-quality quarterfinal clash at Flushing Meadows on Wednesday. The contest, played on Court 17, showcased Bhambri’s sharp net play and Venus’ powerful serving, as the pair closed out the victory in straight sets.

Bhambri, currently ranked world No. 32 in doubles, had reached the US Open pre-quarterfinals last year with Frenchman Albano Olivetti but has now gone two steps further to mark the biggest achievement of his career.

The 32-year-old Delhi player is now the lone Indian remaining in the competition after compatriots Rohan Bopanna, Arjun Kadhe, Anirudh Chandrasekar, and Vijay Sundar Prashanth made early exits.

Bhambri and Venus will next take on the all-British combination of Neal Skupski and Joe Salisbury in the semifinals tomorrow. Notably, Rajeev Ram, whom they defeated, is a three-time US Open champion (2021–23) and recently completed 500 tour-level doubles wins, underlining the significance of the upset.

Earlier in the tournament, Bhambri and Venus defeated Gonzalo Escobar (Colombia) and Miguel Ángel Reyes-Varela (Mexico) in the third round to reach the quarterfinals.

With his breakthrough, Bhambri has revived Indian hopes at the US Open after a string of disappointing results from other players.