The Indian hopes were dashed as the second-seeded Jimmy Wang of Chinese Taipei beat the nation’s No.1 singles tennis player, Yuki Bhambri 6-2, 6-3, in the quarterfinals of the Asia Pacific Australian Open wildcard play-off in Nanjing, China, on Friday.
In the semifinals, Wang will take on the former Asian Games champion Danai Udomchoke of Thailand, who had got a walkover from Vishnu Vardhan, as the Indian tried to avoid aggravating a knee injury following an early exit in the doubles.
The other semifinal in the men’s event will feature the top-seeded Yuichi Sugita of Japan against Di Wu of China. The Chinese beat compatriot and fourth seed Ze Zhang in straight sets.
In men’s doubles, fourth-seeded Udomchoke and Wang set up a title clash against the second-seeded Hsin-Han Lee and Hsien Yin Peng of Chinese Taipei. The winner will be rewarded with a wild card for the Australian Open.