The Hindu : Sport / Tennis : India outplays Australia; meets Japan

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Saturday, May 03, 2008
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India outplays Australia; meets Japan

NEW DELHI: India overpowered the top-seeded Australia to cruise into the final of the Asia-Oceania Junior Davis Cup under-16 tennis tournament at the R.K. Khanna Stadium here on Friday.

In the first of the singles matches, Saurabh Singh defeated Jarryd Chaplin 6-3, 6-3 while Yuki Bhambri clinched the tie for India with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Maverick Banes. Australia conceded the redundant doubles rubber.

The contest could not rise to expected levels as the Australian No.2 James Duckworth, who was undefeated in four matches here, could not take the court in the first match owing to ill health.

Saurabh raced away with the first set in 34 minutes, after clinching a decisive break in the fourth game with a backhand pass. In fact, right through the match, Saurabh had no trouble in passing the net-rushing Chaplin. Staying back was perhaps not an option for the Aussie, as he was too defensive to cause damage.

In the second set, Saurabh shook of a dull start and raced through, breaking Chaplin in the seventh and ninth games.

Shaky start

The best player in the 16-nation field, World No. 5 junior Bhambri, did start shakily, dropping his first two service games, but broke back immediately on both occasions. The set, however, ended on a sour note as Banes got one of a handful of questionable line calls — most of which seemed to favour the Indian lads — after he had saved one set point on his serve in the tenth game. Not that that should take anything away from Bhambri and Saurabh — they were just too good.

Bhambri was stronger in the second set, breaking Banes in the sixth and eighth games, after having saved a breakpoint in the fifth.

India will meet the second-seeded Japan in the final on Saturday.

In the other semifinal, it looked like the Japanese would have a fight on their hands in the second singles against Chinese Taipei, but Liang-Chi Huang, who was a set up against Yasutaka Uchiyama, twisted his ankle and conceded the match.

The results (semifinals): India bt Australia 3-0 (Saurabh Singh bt Jarryd Chaplin 6-3, 6-3; Yuki Bhambri bt Maverick Banes 6-4, 6-2; Yuki Bhambri & Saurabh Singh w/o Maverick Banes & Jarryd Chaplin).

Japan bt Chinese Taipei 3-0 (Motoaki Kita bt Chih-Jen Ho 6-4, 6-1; Yasutaka Uchiyama bt Liang-Chi Huang 4-6, 4-1 (retired); Motoaki Kita & Uchiyama bt Chih-Jen Ho & Wen-Yao Liang 6-0, 6-1). — Special Correspondent

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