New York, Aug 29 (PTI) India's top singles player Yuki Bhambri once again failed to clear the first round hurdle of a Grand Slam losing to Frenchman Pierre Hugues Herbert in straight sets at the US Open.

Bhambri, who is world No 96 lost 3-6 6-7 (3-7) 5-7 to Herbert in a match that lasted nearly two and half hours.

The India No 1 did put up a fight in the second and third sets but that wasn't enough to beat the world No 75, who had earlier got better of the Delhi boy during the Maharashtra Open.

There wasn't much to choose statistically between the two players even though Herbert converted a couple of more breakpoints.

However what made the difference was the Frenchman being able to unleash winners at various key moments. In all, he hit 13 winners in three sets while Bhambri failed to hit any.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)