The Hindu : Sport / Tennis : Akash gets past Sudanwa

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Saturday, Aug 26, 2006

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Sport - Tennis

Akash gets past Sudanwa

Sports Reporter

IN CONTROL: Akash Wagh prevailed over his good friend Sudanwa Sitaram.

CHENNAI: Akash Wagh and Sudanwa Sitaram are good mates. Training at the Mahesh Bhupathi Academy (Bangalore) and travelling together abroad for tournaments, the two get along well. In the semifinals of the boys' under-18 section of the MCC-adidas junior National tennis championships at the Madras Cricket Club courts here on Friday, Akash taught his friend a lesson or two in baseline play as he ran roughshod to win 6-4, 6-4.

In no way inferior to Akash when it comes to hitting the ball hard, Sudanwa, this day, found himself at the receiving end being out-hit from the baseline by the 16-year-old left-hander from Maharashtra. The one hour 25 minute contest saw Akash repeatedly hitting winners or catching Sudanwa on the wrong foot.

Serving for the match at 5-3 in the second set, Akash struggled to close it out despite having three match points and got broken. Sudanwa however, failed to hold his serve in the 10th game.

Tamil Nadu's M. Fariz was at his fluent best in defeating his Statemate Tariq Jacob 7-6(3), 6-1. After a closely fought first set where none gave an inch, Fariz asserted his authority in the second and raced away to 4-1 before closing out the match.

Tara Iyer impresses

Wild card entrant Tara Iyer looks to be notch above the rest in the girls' under-18 section. Her service and shots carry a lot more sting. Playing her first junior tournament in probably more than a year (she regularly plays the ITF women's tournaments), Tara outlasted Kelsey Sundaram 7-6(8), 6-2 in the semifinals.

Tara will meet Rashmi Teltumbde in the final. Rashmi's semifinal opponent Aishwarya Srivastav conceded in the second set complaining of wrist pain.

Rashmi entered the girls' under-14 final too, with a 6-1, 4-6, 7-5 win over Prerna Bhambri. Seeded three in the under-14 section and a qualifier in the under-18 section, Rashmi, whose strength is accuracy, would be aiming for a double.

Twelve-and-a-half-year-old Mohit Mayur of Tamil Nadu defeated Sai Karthik of Andhra Pradesh 6-1, 6-2 in the boys' under-14 last four clash. Mohit will meet Vaidik Munshaw of Gujarat in the final. Vaidik, seeded eighth, overcame the top seed Samip Mehta 7-6(5), 5-7, 6-3 in two hours and 10 minutes.

The results (semifinals):

Boys: u-18: Akash Wagh (Mah) bt Sudanwa Sitaram (TN) 6-4, 6-4; M. Fariz (TN) bt Tariq Jacob (TN) 7-6(3), 6-1.

U-14: Mohit Mayur (TN) bt Sai Karthik (AP) 6-1, 6-2; Vaidik Munshaw (Guj) bt Samip Mehta (Guj) 7-6(5), 5-7, 6-3.

Girls: u-18: Tara Iyer (Del) bt Kelsey Sundaram (TN) 7-6(8), 6-2; Rashmi Teltumbde (Mah) bt Aishwarya Srivastav (Mah) 7-6(7), 3-0 (conceded).

U-14: V. Archana (AP) bt Kyra Shroff (Kar) 6-2, 7-5; Rashmi Teltumbde (Mah) bt Prerna Bhambri (Del) 6-1, 4-6, 7-5.

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