Pierre-Hugues Herbert picks up second consecutive tournament withdrawal
Rising French star Pierre-Hugues Herbert has withdrawn from the upcoming Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
The 27-year-old has played at the ATP 500 event in Dubai once so far during his career.
Herbert, ranked at No. 38 in the world, debuted at the Dubai event last year.
Back then, the Frenchman came from a set down to beat Portugal's Joao Sousa in the first round, before he suffered a round-of-16 loss to eventual champion Roberto Bautista Agut.
The 27-year-old pushed Bautista Agut into a three-setter but failed to beat the Spaniard.
Herbert last played at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam, where he was beaten in the first round by Japanese ace Kei Nishikori.
The Frenchman has now picked up back-to-back tournament withdrawals as he also pulled out of this week's Open 13 Provence in Marseille.
A setback came at a bad time for Herbert, who:s form and tennis appeared to be on the rise.
Three weeks ago, Herbert fell just short of winning his maiden ATP title at the Open Sud de France in Montpellier.
The 27-year-old beat some big names that week in Marseille but couldn't beat fellow compatriot Jo Wilfried Tsonga in the final.
Herbert rose to his career-high ranking of No. 36 following his Montpellier campaign.
Herbert will be replaced in Dubai by American Denis Kudla.
Kudla, 26, is set to debut in Dubai as he has no previous appearances at the tournament.
from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2SlsmEa
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