PARIS: India’s Yuki Bhambri and New Zealand’s Michael Vance negotiated a tough opener against Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo and Mariano Castelboim to win 7-5, 6-2 in the first round. French Open Men’s Doubles.Bhambri and Vance, who last week played in the final at the ATP 250 Series event in Geneva, arrived in Paris late on Saturday. They started their opener slowly, falling behind at the break in the opening set and picking up the pace to close in one hour and 22 minutes.In the second round, Bhambri and Vance, who reached the semi-finals of the US Open last year after the Kiwi was sidelined with an injury that required surgery, and only returned to the tour in March, could face fifth-seeded Italians Andrea Vavasori and Simone Bolelli in the next round.Earlier in the day, Sriram Balaji and Brazil’s Marcelo Demoliner defeated Germany’s Constantin Franzen and Holland’s Robin Haas 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 in one hour and 45 minutes.The Indo-Brazilian pair could play ninth seeds Guido Androzzi of Argentina and Manuel Guinard of France in the second round.
