NEW YORK– India’s Yuki Bhambri saw his inspiring US Open run come to an end on Thursday as he and partner Michael Venus of New Zealand fell in the men’s doubles semifinals. The duo lost a hard-fought battle to Britain’s Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski, 7-6(7-2), 6-7(5-8), 4-6.
Bhambri, playing in his maiden Grand Slam semifinal, was the last remaining Indian contender at this year’s US Open. His exit followed earlier losses for countrymen Anirudh Chandrasekar and Vijay Sundar Prashanth, who were beaten in the quarterfinals by Brazil’s Fernando Romboli and Australia’s John-Patrick Smith, 6-4, 6-3. Veteran Rohan Bopanna, paired with Monaco’s Romain Arneodo, was ousted in the opening round, as was Arjun Kadhe with Ecuador’s Diego Hidalgo.
On Thursday, Bhambri and Venus started strong in Louis Armstrong Stadium, capturing the first set in a dominant tiebreak, 7-6(2). They looked poised for an upset after breaking serve in the second set, but the Brits rallied back, forcing another tiebreak and edging it 7-6(5).
The decider saw Salisbury and Skupski take control at the net. Leading 5-3, they squandered three match points before finally sealing victory on their own serve, 6-4.
Salisbury and Skupski will now face Marcel Granollers of Spain and Horacio Zeballos of Argentina in the championship match. Granollers and Zeballos advanced after defeating the unseeded American duo of Robert Cash and JJ Tracy in three sets, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1. (Source: IANS)
