The Hindu : Sport : Prakash powers into quarterfinals

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Sport

Prakash powers into quarterfinals

The Indian eased past Scoville Jenkins in straight sets

— Photo: AP

DEFT TOUCH: Prakash Amritraj’s volleying skills were on display during his win over Scoville Jenkins.

NEWPORT (U.S.): Prakash Amritraj continued his dream run and beat wild card Scoville Jenkins of the United States 6-4, 6-3 to book a quarterfinal berth in the Campbell’s Hall of Fame championships on grass here on Thursday.

It was the fifth win on the trot for Prakash who has dropped only one set so far in five matches, including three rounds in the qualifying event.

The 467th-ranked Prakash, set to gain at least 45 ATP points including five for qualification, and a minimum of $11,000, will face the fifth-seeded Nicolas Mahut of France in the quarterfinals.

Returning from injury, Prakash struck fine form recently by winning three successive ITF Futures titles in the Indian circuit that fetched him 48 ATP points. Since then, the 23-year-old lad has gone from strength to strength, capitalising on his mature approach and his liking for the serve and volley drill on grass.

Incidentally, this is the first time an Indian player has made the singles quarterfinals of an ATP Tour event since Leander Paes did so at the same venue in 1999. Leander had won the Newport tournament in 1998 and Prakash’s father, Vijay Amritraj, had won the title three times.

Gasquet crashes out

Richard Gasquet, who was a Wimbledon semifinalist last weekend, paid the price for those efforts on Friday losing to Igor Andreev 7-5, 6-2 in the Gstaad quarterfinals.

Defending champion Gasquet joined compatriot Marc Gicquel on the sidelines here leaving Gael Monfils and Paul-Henri Mathieu as the last Frenchmen standing.

The third seeded Gasquet admitted that his energy is low after a month on the grass where he achieved his career-best Grand Slam showing as he faced Roger Federer in the Wimbledon semis.

But after mounting a challenge against the Russian in the first set on a steaming hot summer day in the Alps, his reserves gave out.

“Maybe I was a bit tired from Wimbledon, I’ve played a lot over the past month,” said the world No. 7. “I had chances in the first set.

Andreev, who will now face Italian Andreas Seppi who beat Marcelo Vassallo Arguello of Argentina 6-4, 6-0 for a place in the final, broke to claim the opening set and began the second with a break as well.

“I tried to attack from the start. I played my game and it worked well. After I broke him to start the second set, I could feel his level drop,” said Andreev.

Gasquet complained of tiredness in his right arm and shoulder and will take the next three weeks off before resuming at the Montreal Masters in early August.

Stepanek in last four

Czech Radek Stepanek reached his first semifinal since May of last year at the expense of Gicquel 6-3, 6-3.

Stepanek had to pull out of the Toronto Masters last summer with an injured neck which is still affecting his form.

As a result of three months of inactivity in the second half of 2006, his ranking sunk to its current 127.

“I don’t want to talk about my injury, I want to talk about being in a semifinal again,” he said after a win in 69 minutes.

Stepanek fired 11 aces against Gisquel and saved four break points. The Czech improved to 12-4 here after playing semifinals in 2002 and 2003.

At Bastad, fourth seed Carlos Moya gave Robin Soderling a clay court lesson at the Swedish Open with a 6-2, 6-4 victory to reach the semifinals.

The results: At Newport (ATP Hall of Fame championship): Second round: Prakash Amritraj bt Scoville Jenkins 6-4, 6-3; Nicolas Mahut bt Antony Dupuis 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-1; Mischa Zverev bt Danai Udomchoke 2-6, 7-5, 7-6(4) ; Fabrice Santoro bt Frank Dancevic 6-7(6), 6-3, 6-4.