The Hindu : Sport / Tennis : All-AP affair in both finals

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Friday, Aug 04, 2006

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All-AP affair in both finals

Special Correspondent

KAVALI: It will be an all-Andhra Pradesh affair in both the finals of the Visvodaya Institute of Technology and Science (VITS)-AITA Super Series tennis championships at the engineering college courts here on Friday.

In Thursday's semifinals, Daniel Raj defeated Gujarat's Suraj Desai 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-3, while Kaza Vinayak Sarma got the better of Delhi's Shantanu Rajput 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-1.

Among the girls, T. Nilaya toppled favourite Tanvi Shah of Maharashtra 6-3, 6-4 and V. Archana subdued Delhi's Gopika Kapoor 6-4, 6-3.

Playing under an overcast sky, the last four line-ups had to contend not only with each other but with a breeze that repeatedly blew through the courts. Raj and Desai seemed equal, the former's flair and athleticism matched by the latter's judicious use of resources.

Daniel seemed to drive the proceedings more, evident from the control he exerted from the baseline to win the first set. Desai squeezed out the occasional short ball in the second, pepping up his serve with additional power when needed.

After trading breaks early in the decider, Daniel's returns down the line and across the court began to have a bearing on the drift of things. Suraj seemed to tire and didn't further his cause by feeding his opponent's forceful forehand.

Vinayak used his tall frame to full advantage, whether it be with his flowing serve or formidable forehanders. Shantanu did deploy a string of biting backhand drives, but his rival called the shots mostly to prevail in the end.

The results (semifinals):

Boys: Singles: Daniel Raj (AP) bt Suraj Desai (Guj) 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-3, Kaza Vinayak Sarma (AP) bt Shantanu Rajput (Del) 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-1.

Doubles: Man Singh Athare/Bibaswan Deb bt Vinayak /Suraj 7-6(5), 6-3, Sumit Mehta/Vaidik Munshaw bt Ankesh Bhargava/Chetan Pandit 7-6(6), 6-4.

Girls: Singles: T. Nilaya (AP) bt Tanvi Shah (Mah) 6-3, 6-4, V. Archana (AP) bt Gopika Kapoor (Del) 6-4, 6-3.

Doubles: Archana/Tanvi bt C. Rajeswari/Preethi Srinivasan 7-5, 6-1, Deepna Vazirani/Ankita Raina bt T. Nilaya/C. Mohana Sai Madhuri 6-1, 6-4.

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