January 19, 2025: Rohan Bopanna and Zhang Shuai have advanced to the quarter-finals of the Australian Open 2025 mixed doubles event. The Indo-Chinese duo secured their spot in the next round after receiving a walkover in their second-round match against the fourth-seeded pair of Taylor Townsend (USA) and Hugo Nys (Monaco).
In their opening round, Bopanna and Zhang defeated Kristina Mladenovic (France) and Ivan Dodig (Croatia) 6-4, 6-4. The pair will next face the winners of the match between Olivia Gadecki and John Peers (Australia) and Timea Babos (Hungary) and Marcelo Arevalo (El Salvador) in the mixed doubles quarter-finals.

Bopanna, at 44, has made a significant mark in doubles, notably becoming the oldest man in the Open Era to win a Grand Slam title when he claimed the Australian Open men’s doubles title alongside Matthew Ebden in 2024. However, both Bopanna and Ebden were eliminated in the first round of the men’s doubles event this year.
As the last remaining Indian player in the tournament, Bopanna is carrying India’s hopes in the mixed doubles competition. Meanwhile, Yuki Bhambri (partnering Frenchman Albano Olivetti) and Rithvik Bollipalli (with Ryan Seggerman of the USA) were eliminated in the first round of the men’s doubles event. Additionally, N Sriram Balaji and his Mexican partner Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela also fell in the second round. In singles, Sumit Nagal was ousted in the first round by Czechia’s Tomas Machac.