Thaindian News

New Delhi, May 9 (IANS) The Delhi Lawn Tennis Association (DLTA) complex has been a happy hunting ground for Yuki Bhambri and the youngster will look to turn around things, after his Kolkata loss, in the $15,000 International Tennis Federation (ITF) tournament that begins here Monday.
Yuki had a 17-match winning streak here last year and is aware of the expectations that come with it.

“It would be good if I could do it again. Last year, I was new to the circuit and most players had not played against me. It will be difficult to do it again. But the important thing is to keep yourself motivated and if I could do that, then why not,” Yuki told IANS.

The 17-year-old was disappointed with his exit from the Kolkata ITF last week where as a top seeded he lost the semi-finals to Uzbek Murad Inoyatov after winning the first set.

“I won the first set and then let him comeback in the second. The third set could have been anybody’s and it was unfortunate that I lost. I had my opportunities and it was disappointing. But I feel good coming here and I hope to do well,” he said.

The 2009 junior Autralian champion is seeded second here and opens his campaign again qualifier Kaza Vinayak Sharma Tuesday.

“It is hard to predict who is going to go far in the tournament. At this level, everyone is as good and rankings really do not matter. I prefer to take a match at a time,” said Yuki.

“The last two months I not only trained but also played in some Challenger events and Sony Ericsson Open. So, I am match sharp. I have worked on all areas of my game and I am constantly trying to improve as a player.”

South African Davis Cupper Rik De Voest is the top seed here while India’s Ranjeet Virali Murugesan is seeded third.

India’s Vaidik Munshaw, Ronit Bisht, Sai Kartik Nakireddy and Saurab Singh have been given the wildcards.