India’s Yuki Bhambri lost to the United State’s Ernesto Escobedo 7-6(2), 2-6, 4-6 in the third and final round of the Australian Open qualifiers on Saturday. With the loss, Bhambri failed to qualify for the main draw.
In a match that lasted for more than two hours, Bhambri won the first set 7-6, losing his serve once, while breaking Escobedo four times. However, the American staged a strong comeback in the second set, winning it 6-2 and taking the match to a decisive third set. Bhambri did not have any reply to Escobedo’s prolific display and eventually lost his serve to let the American win the set 6-4 and thereby the match.
Bhambri was the sole Indian left in the qualifiers after Saketh Myneni’s 0-6, 2-6 loss to Germany’s Peter Gojowczyk in the first round. Last year, Bhambri qualified for the main draw of the Australian Open owing to his top-100 ranking. However, he lost to Czech Reublic’s Tomas Berdych in the first round itself. He even qualified for the 2015 Australian Open, but lost to world No. 1 Andy Murray in the first round.