NEW DELHI: Yuki Bhambri's comeback to the ATP circuit after recovering from a knee injury didn't go well as he suffered a first-round defeat at the European Open in Antwerp, Belgium.
Playing his first match after the US Open in August, Yuki lost 6-7(6) 7-5 1-6 to Italian Salvatore Caruso in the Euro 686,080 hardcourt tournament.
At one stage Yuki was a break up, serving for the opening set but lost his serve and eventually the set.
After drawing parity, Yuki twice lost his serve to fall behind 0-3 in the decisive set and never recovered.
India's top singles player, the 26-year-old Bhambri's progress has been hampered by fitness issues, the major problem being his knees.
He broke into the top-100 in October 2015 but then missed out half of the 2016 season due to injury.
He got back in good shape and reclaimed his place in top-100 in April this year, but injuries once again pulled him back.
Meanwhile, Divij Sharan and his Kiwi partner Artem Sitak ousted Leander Paes and Miguel Angel Reyyes-Varela 7-5 6-4 in one our and 10 minutes to move to the doubles quarterfinals.