New York, Sept 5: Yuki Bhambri’s hopes of lifting a maiden Grand Slam crown ended in heartbreak on Thursday as the Indian tennis player, alongside his partner Michael Venus, lost a marathon battle in the US Open men’s doubles semi-finals. Yuki and Michael went down fighting to the higher-ranked Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski, 7-6 (2), 6-7 (5), 4-6, in two hours and 53 minutes at the Louis Armstrong Arena in New York.Yuki Bhambri was bidding to become the first Indian since Sania Mirza and Leander Paes in 2015 to win a title at Flushing Meadows, and the first since Rohan Bopanna in 2023 to reach a final. The former junior Australian Open champion had forged a golden partnership with Michael Venus despite enduring a difficult run-up to the US Open. Their impressive campaign included a stunning quarter-final victory over the higher-ranked Rajeev Ram and Nikola Mekti, which secured Yuki a place in a Grand Slam semi-final for the very first time in his career.