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What’s the story?
After defeating his fellow countryman Ramkumar Ramanathan at the US $150,000 Taiwan Challenger on Sunday, Yuki Bhambri jumped from world no. 105 to 83 in the ATP Rankings. That pushed him directly into the main draw of the French Open, becoming the only Indian in the Men's Singles event this year to make the list.
Former world number one Serena Williams also found her name on the Roland Garros entry list, thus officially announcing her return to a Grand Slam event since the 2017 Australian Open. Andy Murray, who hasn't played since last year's Wimbledon, was also entered on the entry list.
In case you didn’t know...
It would be Bhambri’s first attempt at the main draw of the Roland Garros. In the previous year’s event, Rohan Bopanna brought glory to the Indians by winning in the mixed doubles category.
Roger Federer, on the other hand, has become the first star to withdraw from the French Open. Rafael Nadal remains at the top of the seedings and would be the player to watch out for at the clay court tennis championship.
The heart of the matter
While most other Indian athletes were garnering praise for their Commonwealth Games performances, Yuki Bhambri was silently paving his way to personal heights.
Bhambri was 106th before the match, but the 6-3, 6-4 win over his compatriot ensured that he made the cut of the French Open main draw right before 16th April cut-off date.
Bhambri's form has been exceptionally good in the recent past. His 6-4, 6-4 win over World No. 12 Lucas Pouille on the 12th of March showed the Indian’s calibre. Add the factor that the Indian has only recently started working with a coach, Stephen Koon, and he looks like his most impressive to self at this year’s French Open.
What’s next?
While the main draw is out, it is yet to be seen whether all the other players would be participating in the event. There are 128 places to be filled in the men’s singles category which will be filled by 16 qualifiers and 8 wildcards apart from the 104 players who gain direct access to the main draw.The French Open begins on the 27th of May and it would be worth following the Indian on clay.
Author’s Take
While it may seem like an uphill task with the likes of Nadal, Novak Djokovic and others in the fray, it would be exhilarating to watch Bhambri embark on this journey.
