The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Competition for the fastest serve was a big draw

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, May 29, 2006

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Competition for the fastest serve was a big draw

Kalyan Ashok

The organisers are planning to conduct it as an annual event

PROUD WINNERS: Asha Nandakumar, Nitesh, Rohan Shetty, Muruga and Prerna Gait with their trophies at the KSLTA Stadium in Bangalore on Saturday. — Photo: Bhagya Prakash K.

BANGALORE: Any one game for the fastest serve? Well, one has heard of quickies in cricket such as Glen McGrath, Brett Lee and Shoab Akhtar and tennis equivalent of such pace pack are the guys who blast away their first serves like missiles.

Among the best in that business is Andy Roddick of the U.S., who is clocked at 247 mph, with his blistering first serve. Among the Indians, Rohan Bopanna blasts his serve away at 200 mph. To spot more such talent, there was an interesting contest, "Dabur Real ACTUIVl Fastest Serve" at KSLTA courts on Saturday.

The competition rules were simple, each player was given the option of five serves and his fastest and legitimate serve was taken as his best and he qualifies for the second round.

There were five sections, under-16 boys, under-16 girls, under-17 to 25 men and women, and over 25 men.

The top 10 in each group moved into the second round where the further elimination was done to spot the top two servers in each category, who were adjudged as the winner and runner-up in their respective groups. The fastest server across the board in all sections was named the overall winner.The KSLTA wore a festive look from the morning as the players, young and not so young, trooped in to sign for the event.

There were over 200 participants, with 17 to 25 age group section, evoking the maximum response with 100 entries. By the side of the courts was the imported stalker speed gun with a monitor displaying the speed of each serve and Charu Sharma conducing the proceedings.

In the fray were State players such as Kiran Kumar, his sister Asha Nandakumar, Sheetal Goutham, Pooja Shetty, and there was Gayathri Rao, a KSLTA member, who jocularly complained of being grouped with "kids". It took nearly four hours to complete all elimination rounds and the finals. At the end of the day, it was Rohan Shetty who walked away with the overall honours.

Rohan, a ward of Mahesh Bhupathi Tennis Academy, fired a serve of 180 mph, which was the fastest among all categories and also the best in the three legs of the event held in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore. He walked with gift vouchers from Adidas, a year's supply of Dabur Real ACTIV fruit juice and six weeks training scholarship with MBTA.

"It was great to know that I clocked the fastest. I enjoyed all the fun here," Rohan said.

The other winners included P. Nitesh with 160 mph (under-16 boys), Akansha Kohli with 139 mph (under-16 girls), Asha Nandakumar with 147 mph (17 to 25 girls) and Murugan with 170 mph (over 25 men).

The contest also proved to be a big draw, and the organisers now plan to conduct it as an annual event. So if you are a tennis buff, get ready for it next year.

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