New Delhi, July 01: The last time Yuki Bhambri visited the DLTA Complex, he was a spectator cheering his sisters on from the sidelines as they played their matches during a women’s ITF tournament, making sure his injured ankle wasn’t put under too much strain.
On Tuesday, during his own match at the $15,000 ITF Futures tournament, a mere onlooker was what his opponent Ashwin Kumar was reduced to as the 16-year-old gave away just two games in his first-round 6-2 6-0 win.
As the American was serving to stay in the match, he let fly a beautifully angled crosscourt volley which landed out of Yuki’s reach, but there wasn’t even a shred of celebration which acknowledged the shot, as Kumar knew his fate had been sealed long ago by Yuki’s confident play.
He broke in the fourth and eighth games of the first set, and effortlessly dealt out a bagel in the second. In the second round, he plays Ashwin Vijayaragavan for a place in the quarter-finals.
Yuki, who is the reigning Australian Open junior Slam champion, opted to play in the two Futures events in Delhi despite the dates clashing with junior Wimbledon, and a good performance here would push his ranking much higher. The ankle has nearly healed, though he isn’t playing doubles as a precaution.
In another match, Ashutosh Singh held on to beat Navdeep Singh 7-5 6-3. The Delhi player started the match with a break, but Navdeep broke back swiftly to ensure this match would take some time before it was won.
–Agencies