Bhambri overcomes sluggish start, determined Bradshaw

Yuki,  who returned home last week after bowing out of a  Challenger qualifiers in Uzbekistan, looked rusty and   uncharacteristically committed unforced  errors. The 17-year-old junior Australian champion gained  an early break  in the first set  but  squandered  the advantage in the seventh game when Bradshaw hit a powerful  forehand crosscourt.  Yuki then frittered away three break points in the next game.

The Delhi boy, however, soon regained his touch to break Bradshaw in the eighth game, when the latter hit a forehand long, before serving out the set.   

Yuki carried the momentum into the second set, breaking Bradshaw early  before closing the set and the match.  He next plays American Shane La Porte.

In a rain delayed start, Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan put up a spirited display before collapsing on the court with cramps and  retiring at 6-0, 6-7 (5), 6-6 against compatriot Rupesh Roy. This is the second time in  two weeks that Nedunchezhiyan had to retire mid-way a match.

Nedunchezhiyan  breezed through the first set and was leading 3-1 in the second  when  Roy broke back to force a tie-break and clinch it.

Nedunchezhiyan raced to a 4-0 lead in the decider before cramping. Though in pain, Nedunchezhiyan decided to carry on, allowing Roy to take the set to the tie-breaker.
 
Roy next plays last week’s winner and third seed Kim Young-jun who dispatched Briton Sean Thornley 6-1, 6-3.

In the other singles matches,  Vivek Shokeen pulled off an upset, beating fourth— seeded Kento Takeuchi 6-3, 6-4. Shokeen next plays  Australian of Indian origin K Balakrishnan who advanced as Hsien-yin Peng of Chinese Taipei retired trailing 6-2, 2-0.

Top seed Vishnu Vardhan overcame   N Prashanth 7-5, 6-3 in a keenly contested match. Vardhan next plays Vijayant Malik, who dispatched Yannick Nelord 6-3, 6-3.