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.