The Hindu : Sport : Ram Kumar triumphs

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Apr 22, 2006

Sport

Sport

Ram Kumar triumphs

Special Correspondent

PROUD WINNERS: Ram Kumar (left) and Sharon Paul, who won the titles in the AITA junior-ranking tournament in Bangalore. — Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

BANGALORE: R. Ram Kumar of Tamil Nadu quelled a spirited challenge from Rashien Samuel of Karnataka to take the boys singles title in the Malleswaram-AITA champion series (under-14) tennis tournament here on Friday. A fine double

Ram Kumar, who had earlier won the doubles title partnering Sai Bharadwaj on Thursday, thus completed a fine double.

At the outset, the 75-minute contest seemed a lopsided one. Ram Kumar raced to a 5-0 lead as Samuel struggled with his serve and kept hitting his returns over the lines.

Samuel's morale took a beating after a prolonged third game, which saw six deuces and four break points.

Crucial break

With nothing to lose at this stage, Samuel began playing sensibly, slowing down the tempo and picking big winners with his strong forehand. He broke Ram Kumar in the sixth game and again in the eighth to level at 4-4. But he dropped the guard in the ninth game, netting a volley and then putting a return wide. Ram Kumar grabbed the crucial break and held his serve in the tenth to take the set at 6-4.

In the second set, Samuel dropped his serve in the fifth, but came back strongly in the sixth, cracking his rival at love. But he couldn't maintain the tempo, as Ram Kumar struck in the seventh game to go up 4-3 and stretched the lead to 5-3 on his serve. He held his nerve to take the set and match.

In the girls' final, top-seeded Sharon Paul prevailed over Sansitha Nandakumar 6-0, 5-7, 6-4.

The results (all finals): Boys: R. Ram Kumar (TN) bt Rashien Samuel (Kar) 6-4, 6-4. Doubles: Ram Kumar & Sai Bharadwaj bt Jayaraj Prasanna & Ajay Srinivasan 6-4, 6-3.

Girls: Sharon Paul (TN) bt Sansitha Nandakumar (TN) 6-0, 5-7, 6-4.

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