Yuki Bhambri crashes out of Tata Open Maharashtra

Pune, January 3: Yuki Bhambri pressed the self-destruct button by squandering six break chances in the deciding set and crashed out of the Tata Open Maharashtra following a three-set defeat to eighth seed Pierre-Hugues Herbert here on Wednesday (January 3).

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Here are the match results after an electrifying Day 3⃣. Many players advanced to the quarters of #TataOpenMaharashtra, while @BautistaAgut's early exit was the biggest shocker of the day. 🙌

Congratulations to the winners! 👏#AdvantagePune pic.twitter.com/xEFwNLKr9O
— Tata Open Maharashtra (@MaharashtraOpen) January 3, 2018

Bhambri's first serve let him down as he bowed out with a 6-4, 3-6, 4-6 defeat to the Frenchman, ranked 81, in the second-round of the hard court ATP 250 event.

In the biggest upset of the day, Frenchman Gilles Simon made short work of defending champions Roberto Bautista-Agut, notching up a 6-3, 7-5 (7/5) victory.

That epic move from @cilic_marin 😮#AdvantagePune #TataOpenMaharashtra pic.twitter.com/e4YZS9swSv
— Tata Open Maharashtra (@MaharashtraOpen) January 3, 2018

Later, top seed and World No 6 Marin Cilic knocked India's Ramkumar Ramanathan out with a 6-4, 6-3 win.

Catch the highlights of the clash where @GillesSimon84 defeated defending champion, @BautistaAgut in straight sets (6-3, 7-6). The Frenchman has now sealed a spot in the quarter-finals of the #TataOpenMaharashtra. 👏👏👏#AdvantagePune #ATP #ATP250 #Tennis pic.twitter.com/h6dOwL8WJD
— Tata Open Maharashtra (@MaharashtraOpen) January 3, 2018

Earlier, Bhambri's second serve hardly had any sting, making it easier for Herbert to attack.

Singles 2nd Round - Centre Court:

Tournament's 8th seed @p2hugz triumphs over India's @yukibhambri. The Frenchman advances to the quarter-finals after winning the match (4-6, 6-3, 6-4).#AdvantagePune #TataOpenMaharashtra pic.twitter.com/8fK6N9DJ7Q
— Tata Open Maharashtra (@MaharashtraOpen) January 3, 2018

Herbert, to his credit, got better and better after a shaky start. He soaked in the pressure and came out strong.

His body language remained strong while Bhambri could not assert himself despite being in advantageous position in the third set.

In the second game of the decider, Herbert was down 0-40 but the Indian youngster, who has won 11 matches in a row on these courts, could not take advantage of the situation.

Herbert came out serving big and his returns too were very strong as he moved Bhambri on both sides of the court. It was the same story in the fourth game and in all, Bhambri let go of six break points.

Bhambri's shoulders dropped and his body language was poor after missing those chances.

Perfect post-match celebration! 😍
The Pune crowd loves @GillesSimon84 and so does the Frenchman. Congratulations on booking a berth in the Quarter-finals! 👏👏👏#AdvantagePune #TataOpenMaharashtra pic.twitter.com/1i1Ddgmed6
— Tata Open Maharashtra (@MaharashtraOpen) January 3, 2018

Herbert, serving for the match, came out with an ace at a speed of 204km per hour. And when he served a double fault to be 15-30, he leveled the scored with a service which read 207kmph.

That was the difference between the two players. While Herbert used his service as a big weapon, firing as many as 13 aces, Bhambri's first serve deserted him. His first serve percentage read just 57 at the end of the match.