Yuki Bhambri advances to second round

Yuki will now meet world No 11 and eighth seeded American Jack Sock in the second round of the tournament, having come through the qualifying round. Yuki, who is currently ranked 107th in the ATP list, took an hour and 32 minutes to defeat the world No 75. 

The win against another higher-ranked opponent will surely help India’s top singles player in getting closer to top-100, something that can get him direct entry into the French Open. He had earlier reached the third round of the Indian Wells tournament. 

The hallmark of Yuki’s game in the opening round here was the successful first serve of 68 percent and a whopping 71 per cent conversion of points on the second serve. 

Throughout the match, Yuki converted five of the 13 break points compared to only two by his opponent. Nicola Kuhn became the youngest Spaniard to win an ATP World Tour match since Rafa Nadal after the 18-year-old’s 7-6(4) 6-4 victory over Darian King. 

Kuhn, who turned 18 on Tuesday and is ranked 211th in the world, became the youngest Spanish winner since 16-times Grand Slam champion Nadal did it aged 17 in 2004. 

Also on Thursday, Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis earned himself a second-round match against Roger Federer after thrashing Calvin Hemery of France 6-1 6-2 in barely an hour. 

Kuhn, who was born in Austria before his parents moved to Spain when he was a baby, said it was a “special day”. “It was a very tough match. I’m happy with today’s victory, but now I need to focus on my next match. 

“People here have a lot more experience than I have. I have to play matches, learn — whether I win or lose — and ultimately seize opportunities and give my all.” Kuhn has been eyed for several years as a player to watch, and he notched his first Challenger Tour title in Braunschweig, Germany last July. 

Some of the tournament’s big names will take to centre court on Friday, with second seed Marin Cilic, fifth seed Juan Martin del Potro and ninth seed Novak Djokovic in second-round action.