Bhambri-Olivetti pair makes semifinal exit in Marrakech Open

Yuki Bhambri and Albano Olivetti lost in the ATP Marrakech Open semifinals against Lucas Miedler and Alexander Erler. The unseeded duo fell in a tie-breaker after a tough match. Bhambri and Olivetti had defeated third seeds in earlier rounds. Bhambri, ranked 62, may team up with Rohan Bopanna for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

India's Yuki Bhambri and his French partner Albano Olivetti crashed out in the semifinals of the the ATP Marrakech Open here after a hard-fought duel against second seeds Lucas Miedler and Alexander Erler of Austria.

The unseeded Indo-French pair lost 5-7 6-3 7-10 in a gruelling tie in the last-four stage of the ATP 250 event.

Bhambri and Olivetti had earlier knocked out third seeds Nicholas Barrientos and Rafael Matos to breeze into the men's doubles semifinals.

It was a closely contested affair between the two pairs in the semifinals. After Miedler and Erler took the opening set, Bhambri and Olivetti made a remarkable comeback to draw level.

There was no let up in the decider between as the contest went down to the wire, where Miedler and Erler sealed the contest in the tie-breaker.

Bhambri has teamed up with Olivetti for the first time this season, having played with Dutchman Robin Haase in most of the tournaments.

The Indian had paired with former partner Michael Venus from New Zealand at the Miami Masters where they made a first round exit.

Bhambri's best performance of the season came at in ATP 500 Dubai, where as qualifiers the Indian and Haase reached the semifinals, earning crucial 225 ranking points.

Ranked 62, the 31-year-old Bhambri is India's second-highest-ranked player behind world number one Rohan Bopanna.

It will be interesting to see if Bopanna chooses Bhambri as his partner for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

Bopanna being a top-10 player will have the choice of selecting his partner.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)