Yuki clinches Australian Open boys' singles title

Melbourne, Jan 31 (PTI) Yuki Bhambri today scripted history by becoming the first Indian to clinch the Australian Open junior singles title with an emphatic straight-set win over German Alexandros-Ferdinandos Georgoudas at the Melbourne Park here today. Top seed Yuki swept aside the unseeded Georgousdas 6-3 6-1 in 57 minutes to pocket his first Grand Slam singles title, becoming the fourth Indian to do so in the process.
The other Indians in the elite list are Ramanathan Krishnan (1954 Junior Wimbledon champion), his son Ramesh Krishnan (1970 Wimbledon and French Open junior champion) and Leander Paes (1990 Junior Wimbledon and Junior US Open champion). The Delhi boy, who lost in the semi-finals here last year, was at his dominant best from the start and seemed determined to lift the title this time.
He broke his German opponent in the fourth game of the opening set to go up 3-1 and then maintained his composure to seal it in 31 minutes. Yuki didn't look back and demolished Georgousdas 6-1 in just 26 minutes in the second set.
Yuki's dominance in the match was evident from the 29 winners he hit as compared to his opponent's 21. He also converted four out of the seven break points that he earned and didn't give away a single break point to the German.
Yuki, partnering Chinese Taipei's Liang-Chi Huang, also made it to the semi-finals of the boys' doubles event but the top-seeded duo lost to the Russian-Japanese pair of Mikhal Biryukov and Yasutaka Uchiyama 3-6 1-6 yesterday.