Yuki Bhambri wins maiden ATP doubles title in Spain

Yuki Bhambri clinched his maiden title on the ATP World Tour, winning the doubles trophy at the Mallorca Championships with South African partner Lloyd Harris, in Mallorca Saturday. The Indo-South African pair defeated the Dutch-Austrian combo of Robine Hasse and Philipp Oswald 6-3 6-4 in the final of the grass court event, the last in the build up to the Wimbledon Championships. The 30-year-old Indian finished the match with a forehand winner between the two opposition players across the court and raised his arms in celebration.

“It’s incredible to win the tournament on grass. Winning without dropping even one set on grass is unheard of in doubles. It obviously helps playing with a partner who was performing exceptionally well in singles,” Bhambri told PTI. “We played to our potential and came through. We took it one match at a time and got the result. Hopefully many more (titles) to come.”

Bhambri, who is ranked 75, will move up to career-best 58 after this win as he presented himself an early birthday present. He will turn 31 on Tuesday. His singles career marred by injuries, Bhambri had decided to switch to doubles on the Tour to prolong his tennis career.

He mostly played with compatriot Saketh Myneni. They won two Challenger titles this season – in Nonthaburi and Girona. They did not play this tournament together because Myneni wanted to take a break, according to Bhambri, who added that he will play the Wimbledon Championships with his Indian partner.