<p>A handsome crowd had turned out to watch local boy Yuki Bhambri in action against unseeded Frenchmen Lucas Pouille. As the sixth-seeded Indian raced away with the first set, more and more queued in to fill the stands. The match, though, spilled into the decider, where Yuki, despite holding a match point, slumped to 6-2, 5-7, 5-7 loss to cause a discomforting silence.<br /><br /></p>.<p>This opening round match of ONGC-GAIL Delhi Open men’s singles was of engaging rallies and surprising comeback. And even if the partisan crowd left a tad disappointed, they were enthralled by the intense show put up by both the players.<br /><br />His loss has left Somdev Devvarman the only surviving Indian in the men’s singles. The second-seeded Indian scored a scrappy 6-2, 7-5 victory over wildcard and compatriot Karunuday Singh. In the other first round men singles matches, the Indians put up a good fight but fell short. <br /><br />The 293-ranked Saketh Myneni troubled Italian Thomas Fabbiano, ranked 181, to force tie-breakers in both the sets but failed to cash in on the opportunities. He lost 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-4).<br /><br />Wildcard Ramanathan Ramkumar caused a stir by putting up spirited challenge against Serbian IIija Bozoljac, the winner of the Kolkata Challenger. In an impressive fightback, he rallied to make it a set all before going down fighting 2-6, 7-6 (7-5), 4-6. <br /> Yuki started with his trademark flamboyance against 187-ranked Lucas, who was given a wild card in the French Open last year. But minutes after winning the opening set, Yuki's game slipped and Lucas seized the opportunity to make a stunning comeback. His cracking winners and booming serve left the 145th-ranked Indian astounded and soon it was a set all.<br /><br />But Yuki restored the order in the decider by breaking the Frenchman in the third game and then held a match point at 5-3 on Lucas’s serve. That was not to be though. The Indian had the opportunity to serve out the match, only to be broken when he shanked a forehand.<br /></p>
<p>A handsome crowd had turned out to watch local boy Yuki Bhambri in action against unseeded Frenchmen Lucas Pouille. As the sixth-seeded Indian raced away with the first set, more and more queued in to fill the stands. The match, though, spilled into the decider, where Yuki, despite holding a match point, slumped to 6-2, 5-7, 5-7 loss to cause a discomforting silence.<br /><br /></p>.<p>This opening round match of ONGC-GAIL Delhi Open men’s singles was of engaging rallies and surprising comeback. And even if the partisan crowd left a tad disappointed, they were enthralled by the intense show put up by both the players.<br /><br />His loss has left Somdev Devvarman the only surviving Indian in the men’s singles. The second-seeded Indian scored a scrappy 6-2, 7-5 victory over wildcard and compatriot Karunuday Singh. In the other first round men singles matches, the Indians put up a good fight but fell short. <br /><br />The 293-ranked Saketh Myneni troubled Italian Thomas Fabbiano, ranked 181, to force tie-breakers in both the sets but failed to cash in on the opportunities. He lost 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-4).<br /><br />Wildcard Ramanathan Ramkumar caused a stir by putting up spirited challenge against Serbian IIija Bozoljac, the winner of the Kolkata Challenger. In an impressive fightback, he rallied to make it a set all before going down fighting 2-6, 7-6 (7-5), 4-6. <br /> Yuki started with his trademark flamboyance against 187-ranked Lucas, who was given a wild card in the French Open last year. But minutes after winning the opening set, Yuki's game slipped and Lucas seized the opportunity to make a stunning comeback. His cracking winners and booming serve left the 145th-ranked Indian astounded and soon it was a set all.<br /><br />But Yuki restored the order in the decider by breaking the Frenchman in the third game and then held a match point at 5-3 on Lucas’s serve. That was not to be though. The Indian had the opportunity to serve out the match, only to be broken when he shanked a forehand.<br /></p>
