India’s Yuki Bhambri and his French partner Albano Olivetti frittered away a solid start to make a semifinal exit from the ASB Classic in Auckland on Friday. The unseeded Indo-French combine had the momentum but the top seeded pair of Nikola Mektic and Michael Venus bounced back strongly to win 3-6 6-1 5-10 in the last-four pairs match of the ATP 250 event. Bhambri and Olivetti took 90 points each and spilt USD 10150 for their effort in the hard court tournament. Before teaming up with Olivetti, India No. 2 Bhambri gained valuable experience on the Tour partnering with Venus, entering the Australian Open well-prepared.

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