Yuki Bhambri trounces Conor Niland to advance to second round – Shimadzu Kyoto Challenger 2012
Indian number 2 Yuki Bhambri outclassed Conor Niland of Ireland in a one-sided match in the first round of the Shimadzu Kyoto Challenger in Japan on Monday. The Indian, ranked 280th in the world, defeated Niland 6-1,
6-3 in just 54 minutes.
Bhambri completely dominated the match from its beginning, breaking the Irish in the second and fourth game of the first set to race to a 5-0 lead. Niland won four straight points to hold his serve in the sixth but Bhambri captured
next game to bag the set 6-1.
The Indian bombarded four aces and put in 54 percent of the first deliveries, claiming 10 of the 13 points on them. Bhambri clinched most of the return points too. The 19-year-old won eight of the 14 points on the replies to his
opponent’s serve in the opener.
Bhambri allowed Niland to claim only one point in the first two games, grabbing a 2-0 lead. The Indian made another breakthrough in the ninth, sealing the set 6-3.
Both players hit one double fault but Bhambri also fired three aces compared to none by the Irish. The Indian won 13 of the 16 first return and eight of the 13 second return points. The 6ft tall evaded all the three break points
he faced and converted two of the three he received in the second set.
Bhambri had made a great start to this season. Playing his first tournament of the year, the Indian upset Karol Beck in straight sets 6-2, 6-3 in the first round. He could not make it to the quarter-finals, losing to top seed Janko
Tipsarevic in the round of 16.
The Indian was close to qualify for the main draw at the SAP Open but lost to Dennis Lajola in the final qualifier. The right-hander made it to the last eight at the Singapore Challenger previous week.
Bhambri is drawn to play either Takuto Niki of Japan or Danai Udomchoke of Thailand in the second round. Niki is a wild card entrant and Udomchoke is seeded fifth at the event.
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