US Open 2018: Yuki Bhambri bows out in 1st round as Pierre-Hugues Herbert triumphs

New York: India's top singles player Yuki Bhambri once again failed to clear the first round hurdle of a grand slam losing to Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert in straight sets at the US Open.

Bhambri, who is world no. 96 lost 3-6 6-7 (3-7) 5-7 to Herbert in a match that lasted nearly two and half hours.

The India no. 1 did put up a fight in the second and third sets but that wasn't enough to beat the world no. 75, who had earlier got better of Bhambri during the Maharashtra Open.

There wasn't much to choose statistically between Bhambri and Herbert even though the latter converted a couple of more breakpoints.

However, what made the difference was the Frenchman being able to unleash winners at various key moments. In all, he hit 13 winners in three sets while Bhambri failed to hit any.