Australian Open: Yuki Bhambri qualifies for main draw; Ramkumar out

Yuki Bhambri

Continuing his good form from the last season, Yuki Bhambri yesterday qualified for the Australian Open with a win but Ramkumar Ramanathan missed out on his maiden Grand Slam appearance. The Bhambri, 25, overcame a first set lapse to tame Canadian Peter Polansky 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the third and final qualifying round. It will be third Australian Open men's singles main draw for Bhambri who had lost in the first round in 2015 and 2016 to Andy Murray and Tomas Berdych respectively.

Meanwhile, Ramkumar had a break chance in the fifth game of the decider but could not convert and eventually lost his third round match 4-6, 6-4, 4-6 to Canadian Vasek Pospisil. At Grand Slams, it is Ramkumar's best show, reaching the final qualifying round. Bhambri, who was junior world number one, had won Australian Open boys singles tile here in 2009 and has played only at this Grand Slam in the main draw since turning Pro. Asked what makes him perform at Melbourne Park, Bhambri said, "I don't know what makes me play better here. "Maybe the conditions suit me or I am just familiar with it because I have played here before." Bhambri will play Marcos Baghdatis in a first-round match today.

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