One year after his semi-final run at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Zhuhai, China, Yuki Bhambri of India is enjoying success here once again.
It wasn’t an ideal 12 months in between for him, though. An elbow injury sidelined Bhambri for six months and when he returned in September, he went 0-5 in main draw Challenger matches for the remainder of 2016.
But it seems that the former Top 100 player in the Emirates ATP Rankings is finally over his injury woes in 2017. He qualified for the Aircel Chennai Open in January and won his opening match in the main draw, then reached the final round of qualifying at the Australian Open. This week in Zhuhai, Bhambri has dropped just nine games in reaching the semi-finals, including a convincing second-round win over fifth seed Blaz Kavcic of Slovenia.
“I’m always trying to make changes to stay healthy now. I’m trying to train harder, but also take more breaks in the schedule throughout the year,” said Bhambri. “The elbow is totally fine now, though. I’m still wearing something for protection, but there’s no pain.”
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In a bid for more match play, Bhambri also competed in ITF Futures events at the end of last year and beginning of this season, compiling a 13-1 record in three tournaments and winning the last two without dropping a set. But while the extra time on court was valuable, he admitted the level of play in Challengers is much higher.
“It’s very different. There are no easy matches in Challengers and some of the toughest Challengers in Asia are in China. Almost all of these guys have played in the biggest tournaments before,” said Bhambri. “Because there are three tournaments in a row this month in China, it also makes it very convenient for players to come and compete here.”
Bhambri is seeking his sixth Challenger singles title this week and first since prevailing in Pune in October 2015. But regardless of how his remaining matches in Zhuhai turn out, the Indian player said he has been enjoying his time here.
“The venue and facilities are top-notch,” said Bhambri. “It’s a great place to come and play tennis.”