India's N Sriram Balaji, paired with Romanian Victor Vlad Cornea, faced disappointment in the Australian Open men's doubles as they bowed out in the second round.
Their adversaries, the 10th-seeded duo of Marcelo Arevalo from El Salvador and Mate Pavic from Croatia, dominated with a scoreline of 3-6, 3-6 at the Rod Laver Arena.
Balaji and Cornea had initially showcased promise, securing a victory in the first round against the Italian pair Matteo Arnaldi and Andrea Pellegrino with a convincing 6-3, 6-4.
The Indo-Romanian duo, entering the competition as an alternate pair, had shown resilience. However, their journey came to an end against the formidable 10th-seeded opponents.
Balaji, holding the 79th spot in ATP doubles rankings, and his Romanian partner, ranked 69th, fought valiantly but couldn't overcome the challenge posed by Arevalo and Pavic.
This marks the second time Balaji has progressed to the second round of the Australian Open, the previous occasion being last year when he partnered with fellow Indian Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan.
Overall, it is his third appearance in the second round of a Grand Slam, having previously achieved this feat in Wimbledon 2018 with compatriot Vishnu Vardhan.
The Indian contingent at the Australian Open has witnessed mixed fortunes, with Yuki Bhambri exiting the competition alongside Dutch partner Robin Haase, and the Indian pair of Vijay Sundar Prashanth and Anirudh Chandrasekar also bidding farewell.
In a separate development, Rohan Bopanna and his partner Timea Babos opted to withdraw from the mixed doubles competition, as confirmed by Bopanna to PTI. Their decision leaves no Indian representation in the mixed doubles draw.
While Balaji and Cornea's journey in the Australian Open men's doubles concludes, the Indian tennis fraternity remains hopeful for continued success in other categories and future tournaments.
