World No 200 Yuki Bhambri stuns French star Gael Monfils at Citi Open 2017

Yuki Bhambri is the new giant-slayer from India! The world number 200 stunned defending champion and sixth seed Gael Monfils at Citi Open, an ATP 500 tournament in Washington, on Thursday, July 3.

Bhambri, who qualified for the main draw after winning a round of qualifiers, needed an hour and 51 minutes to take out the 22nd-ranked Frenchman 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 in the second round and book a place in the pre quarter-final of the tournament.

Notably, Bhambri's biggest career win comes months after his compatriot Ramkumar Ramanathan stunned in-form Dominic Thiem in the R16 round in a pre-Wimbledon grass-court tournament in Antalya.

Bhambri matches Monfils' energy

Bhambri came up with a solid show, winning 77% of his first serve points. He matched Monfils' energy on the court with a break at 4-3 before serving out the first set.

Despite losing the second, the former world junior number one stepped up in the decider without conceding a break point and converting one of the two that had come his way.

The stunning forehand return

Bhambri came up with delightful forehand return on the run that won praise of the crowd as well as the match commentators. Towards the end of a long rally, the 25-year-old's stunning return just caught the baseline, leaving the spectators stunned.

At the end of the high-octane match, Monfils himself was impressed with the way Bhambri had fought for a memorable win in Washington.

"I think I took my chances. I came to the net at the right moments, played the right points at the right time. That definitely played off," Bhambri told Tennis TV after his win on Thursday.

He added: "I went out there to enjoy."

Bhambri will now take on Guido Pella of Argentina for a place in the quarter-final. Notably, he has never reached the final of Masters 250 tournament, let alone a Masters 500 competition.

Will Thursday's big win spur him on?