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Indian tennis ace Yuki Bhambri continues his good run in the North American hardcourt swing as he booked his place in the second round of the Miami Open 2018 at Crandon Park in Key Biscayne, Florida on Thursday. The 25-year-old needed 1 hour 33 minutes to dismiss the challenge of Mirza Basic 7-5, 6-3 in the first round.
Next up for the Delhi player is the eighth seed Jack Sock, who won the Paris Masters in November.
Basic had won his first career title in Sofia just last month, as a qualifier, with a win over Stan Wawrinka in the semi-finals. He also had a winning head-to-head record over the Indian, having won their only previous encounter at the 2016 Sofia Open in straight sets.
That could not unnerve Yuki, who had a strong second serve. Winning 71% of the points helped him a great deal against the 75th ranked player hailing from Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The Indian’s composure under pressure stood out as he saved five of the seven break points he faced, denying his higher-ranked opponent any chance to build a big lead. The former junior Australian Open champion was as strong on the returns and made in-roads into Basic’s serve five times.
The only hiccup for the India No. 1 in this match was a medical time-out that he took in the middle of the second set to apparently treat blisters on his foot.
Bhambri came into this match after winning two rounds in qualifying without dropping a set. This is the second ATP Masters 1000 event in a row in which the World No. 107 has qualified. He notched up the biggest win of his career at Indian Wells earlier this month when he stunned the World No. 12 Lukas Pouille on his way to the third round.
Having suffered in 2016 due to an elbow injury, Bhambri has been steadily clawing his way back to the top echelons of the sport. He began the 2018 season by qualifying for the Australian Open and then reached the final of the Chennai Challenger.
