BENGALURU: Yuki Bhambri’s return to competition in the
Dubai Duty Free tennis
was halted by Slovenia’s
Aljaz Bedene
, the world No.59, on Monday.
The 31-year-old rallied to score a 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 win in just under two-hours, taking charge of the narrative in the decider.
Bhambri, who hadn’t played competitively since 2018 due to wrist and knee injuries, returned to competition in February. The 28-year-old, sporting knee (both legs), wrist and elbow braces (right hand), might’ve sparked images of the walking wounded, but he looked none the worse for the test.
The strapping was for protection he later confirmed.
“I started really well, I came out in front,” the Indian, who worked his way through the qualifying draw in Dubai, said. “He came back better, made a lot more balls, put me on the backfoot. The second set was crucial, he gained confidence from there. I had my chances in the eighth game (of the third set), you have to take your chances when you get them at this level, or any level.”
Bhambri, the No.1 junior in the world some 12 years ago, was broken in the seventh game of the third set, he erred on a forehand. He had a chance to pull back in the eighth game, leading 15-30 on Bedene’s serve, he went too wide on the backhand to punctuate a long rally.
Meanwhile,
Sania Mirza’s start-stop comeback was stalled again when she was forced to miss the Miami and Charleston WTA tournaments as her partner Belgian legend
Kim Clijsters
was sidelined with a knee injury.
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