Mallorca ATP: Yuki-Olivetti bow out despite a spirited effort

The Indo-French pair of Yuki Bhambri and Albano Olivetti suffered a straight-set defeat to the top-seeded American pair of Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow in the quarterfinals of the Mallorca ATP tournament on Wednesday.

Despite a spirited effort, the duo succumbed (6-7 (23), 4-6) to the higher ranked pair, thus ending their journey at the ATP 250 grass court event in Mallorca, Spain.

This was their final tournament before the prestigious Wimbledon championships next week.

Yuki Bhambri had entered the tournament as the defending champion, having won here last year with his South African partner Lloyd Harris. 

A mammoth tie-breaker

This match will be remembered for a while because of an extraordinary tie-breaker in the first set which lasted 44-points.

The first set was a very intense battle with all the four players displaying great serving form. Serves were held pretty efficiently and a tie-breaker was inevitable.

In the tie-break, the players continued to win points on serves and the tie-break went the distance with no team willing to give an inch away. 

Finally, mini-breaks were made and Americans took the first set in what was clearly a battle of attrition.

However in the second set, the first break of the match came in the very third game when the Americans broke the Indo-French pairing.

Thereafter, there was no looking back and the Americans duly claimed the set and the match, enroute to booking their semi-final berth.