US Open 2026: Balaji and Evan King Save Six Match Points in Stunning Comeback

Sriram Balaji and American partner Evan King produced one of the most dramatic comebacks of the US Open 2026 so far, saving six match points before defeating Dutch pair Sander Arends and David Pel in a marathon men's doubles first-round battle in New York.

The Indo-American combination fought back from losing the opening set to prevail 3-6, 7-6(7), 7-6(10) in a contest that lasted two hours and 56 minutes.

The victory was built almost entirely on resilience. Balaji and King found themselves on the brink of elimination multiple times, but repeatedly held their nerve when the match appeared to be slipping away.

Their reward is a place in the second round, where they will face the winner of the match between French-Monegasque combination Edouard Roger-Vasselin and Hugo Nys and Swiss-Czech pair Alexander Ritschard and Dalibor Svrcina.

The opening set belonged to Arends and Pel. The Dutch pair, who had reached the quarterfinals of the French Open earlier this year, immediately put pressure on Balaji and King. Their combination of aggressive returning and solid net play prevented the Indo-American duo from finding a consistent rhythm.

Arends and Pel eventually took the first set 6-3, leaving Balaji and King with little margin for error. But rather than allowing the match to drift away, the Indo-American pair responded with greater aggression in the second set.

The contest became significantly tighter, with neither combination able to establish a decisive advantage.

That eventually forced the set into a tiebreak. And that was where the comeback truly began.

Six Match Points Saved

The second-set tiebreak turned into a survival exercise for Balaji and King. The pair had to save two match points before finally edging the tiebreak and forcing the contest into a deciding set. Instead of closing out the match after taking the first set, Arends and Pel were suddenly facing a completely different contest.

The momentum had shifted. Yet the Dutch pair regained control for long stretches of the deciding set, leaving Balaji and King under pressure once again. At 5-6, with the match on the line, the Indo-American duo found themselves staring at three more match points.

They saved all three. That was not the end of the drama.

The deciding-set super tiebreak went deep, with both teams fighting desperately for the final points. Balaji and King eventually found themselves at the edge of victory, but even then they had to withstand another match point before finally closing out the contest.

They eventually won the super tiebreak 12-10.

Six match points had come and gone. Balaji and King had survived them all.

The final scoreline 3-6, 7-6(7), 7-6(10) does not fully capture how close the contest was.

The two teams were separated by tiny margins throughout the final two sets, with the match ultimately decided by who could remain composed during the most important points. For Balaji, the victory is particularly significant as he continues his run at the US Open alongside King.

The Indian doubles specialist has built a reputation for his competitiveness and ability to produce high-quality tennis in pressure situations, and this match once again highlighted those qualities.

King complemented him effectively, particularly during the crucial moments of the tiebreaks.

Together, they turned a match that looked almost lost into one of the biggest escapes of the opening round.

Roland Garros Quarterfinalists Beaten

The quality of the opposition makes the result even more impressive. Arends and Pel entered the contest with strong Grand Slam form behind them, having reached the Roland Garros quarterfinals earlier this season. That experience showed during the match, particularly in the opening set and the deciding stages.

But Balaji and King were able to withstand the pressure and ultimately win the points that mattered most. The result also provides the Indo-American pair with valuable momentum heading into the second round.

The next challenge will be determined by the outcome of another first-round contest featuring Roger-Vasselin and Nys against Paul and Vocel. Regardless of the opponent, Balaji and King will enter the second round knowing that they have already survived one of the most difficult possible tests: a match in which they were repeatedly one point away from elimination.

Their ability to recover from 3-6 down, save two match points in the second-set tiebreak, then save another three while trailing 5-6 in the decider, before surviving the super tiebreak, could prove invaluable as the tournament progresses. The US Open is often decided by margins, and Balaji and King have already shown that they can handle the smallest of them.

For Indian tennis fans, the result is another reason to keep an eye on the men's doubles draw. Six match points saved. Almost three hours on court. One extraordinary comeback.

Sriram Balaji and Evan King are through to Round 2 of the US Open 2026 and they have done it the hard way.