WORTHY WINNER: Pune Marathas clinched the inaugural edition of the Champions Tennis League on Wednesday.

It was the team to beat, and Pune Marathas remained one till the end.

The side maintained its undefeated record, subduing Delhi Dreams 27-23, in the final of the Champions Tennis League (CTL) at the RK Khanna Stadium here on Wednesday.

Once again, it was Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis, who rose to the occasion for Pune, as he overwhelmed Kevin Anderson, breaking his serve twice en route to a 6-3 victory in the fifth and final rubber.

Vibrant atmosphere

The constant, loud cheering by a big bunch of Pune fans provided a vibrant atmosphere even as the Delhi crowd seemed to have lost its voice in the cold of the night.

Though Anderson looked quite determined in the climax, Baghdatis proved too good for him. The Cypriot’s finesse was evident when he followed up a drop with a lob to catch the towering South African on the wrong foot.

The crowd came alive in the men’s doubles, as both pairs produced high-quality fare. Saketh Myneni and Sanam Singh, who won the Asian Games silver medal together, clubbed with other partners to showcase their classic touch and crisp volleys.

The spirited approach of Baghdatis and Myneni saw them prevail despite being down 2-4 at one stage. Myneni, who had dropped serve, bounced back to help his team cross the finish line. The contest, coming as it did after the intense battle between Agnieszka Radwanska and Jelena Jankovic, offered a lot of entertainment to the fans who braved the late-night chill.

Prophetic

As he had jokingly pointed out that it was part of the team’s strategy to lose the ‘legends’ singles, Pat Cash, the 1987 Wimbledon champion, went down to Juan Carlos Ferrero. The 49-year-old Aussie, who lost steam as the match progressed, however, had enough stock of his famous chequered head-band, and tossed a few into the crowd.

The 34-year-old supremely-fit Ferrero, a former French Open champion, maintained his winning streak, but it was little consolation for the Spaniard as Pune forged ahead in the next two matches. In fact, Cash, who was busy icing his knee and ankle after his match, was proved right as Pune did not lose another rubber!

Despite struggling a bit to adjust to the slow surface, Radwanska first teamed up with Baghdatis to win the mixed doubles contest, and returned to beat Jankovic in the women’s singles.

Pune took home Rs. one crore along with a silver elephant trophy, while Delhi was richer by Rs. 50 lakh.

The Robert Amritraj ‘most valuable player’ of the tournament award went to Baghdatis while Myneni won the Margaret Amritraj award for the ‘best Indian player.’

The results: Pune Marathas bt Delhi Dreams 27-23 (Pat Cash lost to Juan Carlos Ferrero 3-6; Agnieszka Radwanska & Marcos Baghdatis bt Jelena Jankovic & Sanam Singh 6-5(3); Agnieszka Radwanska bt Jelena Jankovic 6-4; Baghdatis & Saketh Myneni bt Kevin Anderson & Sanam Singh 6-5(2); Baghdatis bt Kevin Anderson 6-3).

Tennis Coach Mr. CV.Nagaraj

Tennis Coach Mr. CV.Nagaraj

The School Of Power Tennis - Coach Nagraj honoured for services to tennis

The New Indian Express

Coach Nagraj honoured for services to tennis

The HinduAsian Games mixed doubles gold medallist Saketh Myneni with his tennis coach and mentor C. V. Nagraj at a felicitation function in Hyderabad on Wednesday. Photo: By Arrangement

The Hindu   |  The School Of Power Tennis

It was a gesture of gratitude when Asian Games mixed doubles gold medallist Saketh Myneni took time off from his busy Champions Tennis League schedule, to be present when his coach and mentor C.V. Nagraj was felicitated.

It was a moment the tennis coach had been waiting for long, and he looked overjoyed at being given the recognition during a felicitation function put up during the CTL league matches by the Dr.A.S. Rao Nagar Officers’ Colony Welfare Association.

Telangana advisor K.V. Ramanachary promised to take the initiative to see to it that Hyderabad-based Nagraj, who runs the School of Power Tennis at RRC Ground, gets his due very soon.

Saketh thanked his “untiring coach” for all the support he had given him over the last 10 years.

“A lot of credit goes to him in making me what I am today,” he said, amidst applause.

Mr. Nagraj reassured the gathering that he would strive to produce more champions.

Keywords: Coach Nagraj, Tennis Srikanth, honoured for services to tennis, Hyderabad CTL

Vishnu breaks the Natls jinx -The School Of Power Tennis- Timesofindia





Vishnu Vardhan stopped, and breathed a huge sigh after he overcame the giantkilling Siddharth Rawat 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 to claim the Fenesta Open National Tennis Championship title at the DLTA complex here on Saturday . It was more an exhaling of relief than anything else.Vardhan's reaction justified the efforts put in by the Andhra Pradesh-lad after finishing runners-up twice in previous editions. “More than happy I am relieved that I could get the title to my name. This is my third final in a row and I had lost two times. I was desperate to win. I was winning quite easily and even got an early break in the second set, but nerves got better of me today ,“ an elated Vishnu, who had finished runners-up in 2011 after losing to Yuki Bhambri, said.
It was a completely different story in the women's section.Two-time National champion Prerna Bhambri struck a hattrick of titles in an all-Delhi final when she beat Karman Kaur Thandi 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 to take the winner's prize purse of Rs 3 lakhs.But there is more in store for Karman who will also feature in the under-18 singles final and pair with C Sai Samhitha in the women's doubles final.
In the men's, the Vishnu broke his opponent in just the second game of the first set and had a break point in the sixth game but a weak forehand found the nets. Vishnu managed to breach Siddharth's long rallies in the eighth to take the first set 6-2. Vishnu continued the momentum in the second set and broke Siddharth early to take 3-0 lead. After losing five games in a row, Siddharth settled in the game and went on to win next three games to level the score at 3-3. He then broke Vishnu in the ninth game and served the set with a good serve.
The third set saw both players breaking each other in the fourth and fifth game but Vishnu broke again in the eighth to lead 5-3 and serve the match with an overhead smash.
“Have to give credit to Siddharth for staying patient in the match,“ said Vishnu later, “He is a different kind of player who slows you down and one shouldn't fall into his trap. That was my strategy but in the second set I fell into his game and couldn't recover.“
In the women's final, Prerna recovered from a set down at 4-6 and looked more determined in the second to break Karman in the 10th game of the second set after the young Delhi girl double faulted. In the third, Prerna brought in variations and invited Karman to make unforced errors and lift her third successive title.
“I changed my game and started mixing up more and that helped me in the 2nd and 3rd set.Karman has done a great job of playing all three finals,“ Prerna, who aims to break in top-300 by the year end, said.
Prerna will be seen in action in $10,000 ITF in Sweden starting September 20.

Saketh Myneni 'keen to improve world ranking’ - The Hindu

“The best part is that the mood was always upbeat in the Indian squad during the Asiad." Photo: C.V. Subrahmanyam

For Saketh Myneni, the gold medallist in the mixed doubles tennis event partnering Sania Mirza in the recent Incheon Asian Games, it was a priceless and an unforgettable experience.

“But, again, singles will be my topmost priority as I am keen to improve my world ranking to be in with a realistic chance of playing in a Grand Slam championship,” said the 400th-ranked tennis player who won a silver in the men’s doubles partnering Sanam Singh, besides the mixed doubles gold.

“Well, when we went there for the Asiad, the whole focus was on how well we prepare and execute our game plan. Mixed doubles was a different experience at this level for me. But, Sania being so experienced, gave vital inputs on the opponents lined up against us and I used to share my info with her. There were lots of discussions when we planned our strategy and it is not just going out playing there and hoping for the best,” Saketh explained in an exclusive interview with The Hindu on his return home.

Good friends

“It was the ability to communicate better with Sania since we have been good friends for long that was the key to our success. Definitely, we complemented each other pretty well in crunch games,” says Saketh.

“The best part is that the mood was always upbeat in the Indian squad during the Asiad. We tried our best to stay focused,” the 27-year-old said.

“Till now, I have been called a Davis Cupper. But now the tag of Asiad gold medallist is something which I will cherish for a long time to come. It was an unforgettable feeling when we received the gold with the national anthem ringing in the venue. That was one thing which I always longed to hear in a major event,” he said.

“The expectations will be higher in the future events, no doubt, after the Asiad gold. But again, it all depends on how well you train and perform on the given day as all other factors become secondary. There is always scope to improve. I have a very busy schedule and hope to pick major titles and improve my world ranking,” added Saketh whose sporting idols are Andre Agassi and Roger Federer. “The big dream now is to make it to the 2016 Rio Olympics,” he said.

Saketh Sai - Student of The School Of Power Tennis - Indian express

Power Champions on a Splendid Roll - Indian Express

The school of power tennis Coach Nagaraj student Saketh Sai won Gold and Silver at Asian Games - Eenadu

The School of power Tennis Saketh Sai clinch mixed doubles gold with Sania mirza - Sakshi

Sania-Saketh clinch mixed doubles gold

Sania Mirza/Saketh Sai Myneni brought India glory as they won gold medal in mixed doubles tennis at the Asian Games. Sania Mirza, right, and Saketh Sai Myneni go wild in celebrations after clinching the gold. AP

Davis Cupper Saketh Myneni and team complete India's 5-0 whitewash of Taipei

Saketh Myneni and Yuki Bhambri recorded dominating straight-set victories as India completed a 5-0 rout of Chinese Taipei in the first round of their Asia/Oceania Group I Davis Cup tie, here today.
Myneni, who contributed in India’s doubles win yesterday, carried his good form into the singles rubber as captain decided to play him in place of Somdev Devvarman, who won a marathon singles against Ti Chen.
This is the first time after 2005 that India have recorded a whitewash over an opponent.
The 26-year-old Myneni, ranked 313, took just 48 minutes to dispatch higher-ranked Tsung Hua Yang 6-1 6-4 in the dead fourth rubber to put India on the cusp of a whitewash.
Hsien-Yin Peng, who played in place of Ti Chen, fought his heart out to get that elusive win for his side but Yuki Bhambri was too good for him.
The 22-year-old closed the tie with an impressive 7-5 6-0 scoreline in the second reverse singles, which lasted just 55 minutes.
Yuki played with complete authority for his second win in the tie and was hardly troubled by Peng, who was nonetheless impressive with his ground strokes.
Peng had nothing to lose so he gave everything to the contest but Yuki was too strong for him.
India now lead Chinese Taipei 2-0 in head-to-head record having beaten them in an away tie in 2009. India will now travel to Korea in April to fight for a place in the World Group play-offs.
The scoreline may suggest otherwise but the way Ti Chen pushed Somdev in the second singles and the tremendous pressure put up by the Chinese doubles pair of Peng and Yang against Rohan Bopanna and Myneni yesterday, India had to work hard for a win in the first two days of the tie.
Myneni hardly broke a sweat in continuing India’s winning run as Yang only made it easy for him by not challenging the Indian much.
Yang could not play to his potential in the whole tie. Before coming here, he had reached the final of a Challenger in the USA and it took him almost three days to reach Indore, directly from Hawaii.
Perhaps the long journey and a tough preceding week took a toll on his performance. With their top players Yen-Hsun Lu and Jimmy Wang not in the side, the responsibility to take the fight in the home camp was on Yang but he failed to deliver.
Both Myneni and Yang played from the baseline, hardly coming towards the net. Yang was down 0-40 in the second game.
He saved the first chance with a forehand winner but sent the second long to hand Myneni a 2-0 lead.
Myneni’s perfectly calculated lob earned him his second chance to break Yang, who double-faulted on that point to hand the Indian a 5-1 cushion. The Indian served out the set at love with an ace.
Unforced errors continued to flow from Yang’s racquet and he was down a break point in the seventh game when he netted a volley.
The following backhand, sailing over the lines, handed Myneni a 4-3 lead which he consolidated with a solid hold. He closed the match with a backhand winner.
In the second match, the first set was on serve till the 10th game. Peng lost the 11th game from 40-0 due to unforced errors.
When Peng smashed an easy overhead volley to net Yuki had his first chance to go up and the visiting player only helped the Indian by burying a backhand to net.

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