The Hindu : Sport / Tennis : Gayatri cruises into semifinals

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Friday, Aug 26, 2005

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Sport - Tennis

Gayatri cruises into semifinals

Sports Reporter

MAGIC MANTRA: Pinpoint accuracy is Gayatri Krishnan's strength, as she demonstrated in her quarterfinal victory over Poojashree. — Photo: R. Ragu

CHENNAI: Gayatri Krishnan relies more on accuracy than power. She runs hard, doesn't give up easily, and, crucially, goes for the lines when the going gets tough.

In the adidas-Madras Cricket Club AITA National junior tennis championship at the club courts on Thursday, Gayatri demonstrated her intention and aggression to overcome V. Poojashree of Karnataka 6-4, 7-5 to enter the girls' under-18 semifinals.

Poojashree fought back in the second set, taking a 5-3 lead and was all set to serve out the set. With her nagging accuracy from the baseline, Gayatri, the Chennai lass, pinned the Karnataka girl down, breaking serve in the ninth game and again in the eleventh game with a fine backhand down-the-line winner. Gayatri then closed out the match easily.

G.K. Shweta, the third seed from Karnatakahad it easy against Bhavani Tirumurthi of Tamil Nadu 6-3, 6-0 in the girls' under-18 quarterfinals.

Impressive Fariz

Out from nowhere, Mohammed Fariz has entered the spotlight. He maintained a cool head throughout his match against wild card entrant Manu Bajpai in a rain-interrupted boys' under-18 quarterfinal match.

Fariz oozed class in his 6-3, 5-7, 7-6(7) win in two hours 35 minutes. Fariz will play third-seeded Saketh Sai, who defeated Kaushik Raju of Karnataka 6-2, 6-4.

Top-seeded Madura Ranganathan of Tamil Nadu needed 10 matchpoints to beat Swetha Kumari Solanki of Delhi 7-5, 6-7(8), 6-4 in three hours 30 minutes to advance to the girls' under-18 semifinals. The match resumed after rain stopped play with the both sharing a game each in the third set.

The results (quarterfinals):

Boys: Under-18: M. Saketh Sai (AP) bt Kaushik Raju (Kar) 6-2, 6-4; Siddharth Alapatti (AP) bt Nikunj Siwach (Goa) 6-2, 6-4; M. Fariz (TN) bt Manu Bajpai (Kar) 6-3, 5-7, 7-6(7); Prateek Shanta Raju (Kar) bt Rohan Gide (Mah) 7-6 (1), 6-1.

Under-14: Yuki Bhambri (Del) bt Venkat Iyer (Del) 6-0, 6-4; Sudanwa Sitaram (TN) bt M.A. Navin (TN) 6-4, 6-1; Menta Gopinath (AP) bt Sumit Shinde (Mah) 6-4, 3-6, 6-1; Christopher Marquis (Mah) bt Jugar Marphatia (Mah) 3-6, 6-4, 6-2.

Girls: Under-18: G.K. Shweta (Kar) bt Bhavani Tirumurthi (TN) 6-3, 6-0; Asha Nandakumar (Kar) bt Aishwarya Srivastav (Mah) 6-0, 6-0; Gayatri Krishnan (TN) bt V. Poojashree (Kar) 6-4, 7-5; Madura Ranganathan (TN) bt Swetha Kumari Solanki (Del) 7-5, 6-7(8), 6-4.

Under-14: Prachi Nadkarni (Mah) bt Gopika Kapoor (Del) 6-3, 6-3; Prerna Bhambri (Del) bt Nandita Krishnan (TN) 6-4, 6-4; Rashmi Teltumbde (Mah) bt V. Archana (AP) 6-1, 6-1; Aishwarya Srivastav (Mah) bt Likita Devraj (Kar) 7-6(5), 6-0.

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