Vishnu beats Gajjar, takes title

The Hindu  27-11-2011                           - THE SCHOOL OF POWER TENNIS

 

MEMORABLE WIN: Despite a niggling pain in the groin, Vishnu Vardhan slugged it out to win a hard-fought final. 

 

Vishnu Vardhan fought hard for three hours in recording a memorable 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 victory over Rohan Gajjar in the final of the Power Grid $15,000 ITF Futures tennis tournament at the DLTA Complex here on Saturday.

Despite a niggling pain in the groin that forced him to take a medical time-out after the second set, the second-seeded Vishnu slugged it out, saving four breakpoints in the crucial seventh game of the decider.

Gajjar had also given a good account of himself, turning what looked like a one-sided match on its head with a break in the seventh game of the second set, holding on to the advantage by saving three breakpoints in the next game and eventually serving out the set at love.

Gajjar falters

However, at the crunch, Gajjar faltered as he buried a backhand into the net to face match point. Vishnu came up with a smart passing shot and jumped in joy.

After the loss in the final last week in Pune to Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan, the title obviously tasted a lot sweet for the 24-year-old Vishnu who has been training diligently to improve his all-round game. It showed, as Vishnu served solid through the match, firing as many as 16 aces in the three-hour duel, when he saved 10 of 11 breakpoints.

Gajjar played so well that he faced a breakpoint only once in the first and third sets. However, he got broken both the times, in the decisive 10th games of the two sets. Thus, he slipped to his fourth defeat in five meetings with Vishnu, and the second time in a final.

It was the fourth singles title in 12 finals for Vishnu and he was grateful to the trainers — Anand Dubey and Abhimanyu — who had helped him to be at his best and clinch a double crown.

“I didn't play the final as well as I had in earlier matches the whole week, but I was happy with the way I competed,” said Vishnu, who will rest for a few days before getting ready for the annual Petroleum Sports tennis event in Dehra Dun.

Sweet revenge for Saketh

The Hindu, NEW DELHI, November 23, 2011                      The School Of Power Tennis

 Saketh Myneni let slip six match points, but did not allow Karan Rastogi slip from his grasp, as he recorded a 5-7, 6-4, 7-5 victory over the third seed in the first round of the $15,000 ITF men's Futures tennis tournament at the DLTA Complex here on Tuesday.

In a battle of wits that lasted two hours and 29 minutes, Saketh rode on his big serves — he had 18 aces — and powerful groundstrokes before winding up the show with a teasing drop on his seventh match point.

The 24-year-old Saketh, a graduate from the University of Alabama and a trainee of coach C.V. Nagaraj from the same school of ‘Power Tennis' as Vishnu Vardhan, lost two tie-breaks after winning the first set against Rastogi at Pune last week.

Erratic

Playing on his third wild card in as many weeks of professional tennis, Saketh failed to capitalise on a 4-2 lead in the first set, owing to an erratic spell. However, the wiry Hyderabad lad forced the match into a decider with a break in the 10th game of the second set.

Saketh then broke Rastogi in the 12th game of the third set to seal the contest and exact revenge for his Pune loss.

Rastogi played solid tennis but was forced to push himself by the strapping lad across the net.

In the pre-quarterfinals, Saketh, who won the Chennai leg, will be up against the champion of last week, Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan. Trying to cope with the slow courts here after relishing the quick surface at Pune, Jeevan took time to settle down against the talented Mohit Mayur, losing the first set with a double fault on set point.

However, Jeevan tightened his game to race away with the next two sets for the loss of just two games. 

Vishnu Vardhan through

 

While Vishnu Vardhan tamed Alexander Satschko of Germany, firing a dozen aces and returning with aplomb, Karunuday Singh pulled out with an injury. Thus, it will be Croat Mate Pavic who will challenge the fifth-seeded Vijayant Malik in the second round.