Yuki inches closer to Australian Open main draw

Putting up a dominating show, Yuki Bhambri outclassed Spaniard Carlos Taberner to reach the third and final qualifying round of the Australian Open, in Melbourne, on Friday.

Bhambri, who is in good nick, routed the world number 183 6-0, 6-2 in the second round of the men's singles qualifiers.

The 25-year-old Indian, ranked 122, won 54 points in the 57-minute contest, breaking his rival six times in the match.

The Indian youngster will next play against Canadian Peter Polanksy for a place in the main draw of the first Grand Slam of the year.

If Bhambri clears the final hurdle, it will be his third appearance in the Australian men singles main draw.

In 2015, as a qualifier, he had lost to Andy Murray in the first round and in 2016 he bumped into Tomas Berdych to make a first round exit.

Ramkumar Ramanathan, India's next best singles player in the rankings at number 139, will play his second round later on Friday.

The 23-year-old from Chennai is up against French man Gleb Sakharov, ranked 156.