The Hindu : Sport : Prakash sends Mello packing

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Tuesday, Jan 03, 2006

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Sport

Prakash sends Mello packing

Nandita Sridhar

GOOD SHOW: Prakash Amritraj exults after defeating Ricardo Mello in the Chennai Open on Monday. — Photo: Vino John

Chennai: Sometimes, it's a blessing to suffer from a temporary loss of memory. If anything, it could help you win tennis matches. Prakash Amritraj did just that. He simply forgot. Forgot that he was playing someone who was nearly 200 places higher than him in 2005, forgot that his opponent had an ATP title under his belt, forgot that his career earnings is $137,838, while that of his Brazilian opponent is $670, 193. All that he conveniently chose to remember was that he could speak sentences with his racket, that his opponent could barely fathom. And all those volleying sessions with a certain Vijay Amritraj did its bit in helping him down Ricardo Mello 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, in the first round of the Chennai Open, at the Nungambakkam stadium, on Monday.

Samba flavour

But the picture looked anything but rosy early on. After all, Ricardo Mello did win the first set, and the Samba flavour did leave his opponent with a bitter taste. For most part of the match Mello looked like attempting to break rallying records and nothing else.

In the first set he was content returning Prakash's shots. The problem was Prakash was equally content doing the same, which was alien to his aggressive style.

After some engine trouble of the serving kind Prakash won the first game of the first set, but Mello won the next game and after that he showed no sign of mellowing down his baseline bores and won the next three games, before Prakash clinched his second and also his only other game of the set, and went down 2-6 in the first set.

"I have been working a lot on my legs to improve my baseline play. The problem was that I got too comfortable with it in the first set and went along with his game, which is hitting 1000 rallies," said Prakash on the first.

Aggressive

Prakash's occasional flirting sessions with the net in the first set became a full-blown affair in the second and third set, while Mello was faithful to the baseline, only showing occasional glimpses of fancying the net. Clearly the more aggressive of the two, Prakash's net points proved more lucrative in the second set. He pocketed the first game with ease, but lost the second. But the signs were encouraging. He scooped up the next three games, with some blistering volleys and overhead smashes, that would have made his father smile. The errors where there, but fortunately, he continued attacking and that helped.

Mello showed his net stuff in the next game and a combination of that, along with some strong serves helped him claim that one. But Prakash added a good serve, some cross-court shots to his net play and won the next two games and the set 6-2.

On top

Prakash was clearly on top at this stage, and that was exactly when he came down, only literally

speaking. 15-15 in the first game of the third set and serving, he fell on the baseline and cut his right hand and required medical help. "There was blood all over the floor," he said. He came back and lost the game but not the momentum. He broke back with a backhand volley and almost scorched the court. Prakash was back, blood or no blood. Up 5-2, he gifted Mello one, but that was it. One hour and forty-two minutes into the match, it was game, set and match Prakash.

"If the seeds hold, I should meet Stepanek next. I will continue with this aggressive style with him too, that is what works for me," said Prakash on the next big match.

On a good day for Indians, Rohan Bopanna qualified for the main draw on Monday, beating USA's Rajiv Ram 7-6(2), 6-4. In the other qualifying matches, Marc Gicquel prevailed over Michael Kohlmann 7-6(4), 6-3, while Michael Berrer beat Mariusz Frystenberg 6-4, 7-5.

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