The Hindu : Sport / Tennis : Vishnu Vardhan defeats Rohan, claims title

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Vishnu Vardhan defeats Rohan, claims title

Special Correspondent

— Photo: Sandeep Saxena

FIRST crown: Vishnu Vardhan won his maiden title at the Central Bank ITF men’s Futures tournament in style.

NEW DELHI: Vishnu Vardhan defeated Rohan Gajjar 6-4, 6-2 in the final of the Central Bank $15,000 ITF men’s Futures tennis tournament at the DLTA Complex here on Saturday.

It was the second-seeded Vishnu who handled the climax better as he played a solid game to exasperate the sixth-seeded Gajjar.

The latter had to endure a bout of vomiting midway through the second set, and that put paid to his resolve to make a fight of it.

It was Vishnu’s maiden title in his second singles final in the international circuit, and it was a memorable double for him as he had won the doubles title earlier with Divij Sharan.

The match did not rise to expected levels of intensity as Gajjar was not able to sustain his big serves. After a good start, Gajjar had to save a breakpoint in the seventh game and dropped serve in the ninth game that proved decisive. Vishnu did not face a breakpoint this day.

In the second set, Gajjar served a double-fault to face a breakpoint and Vishnu came up with a passing shot to break him and gain a stranglehold over the proceedings.

Gajjar vomited after hitting an overhead winner on the second point of the sixth game, and did not win a game thereafter. In fact, the tall Mumbaikar with a classical game won only two more points in the match as he was unable to push himself any further.

Mentally tough

“I knew I had to be mentally tough”, said Vishnu, quite pleased with his ability to come good after having squandered a good chance against Yuki Bhambri in the semifinals last week.

“This title means a lot to me. I didn’t enter the match thinking that I was playing the final. I told myself that it was just another match and I had to merely play my game. I was so relaxed”, said Vishnu, who threw the racquet in celebration across the net.

It was a title well-earned as Vishnu had endured two three-setters in the semifinals and quarterfinals against Divij Sharan and Purav Raja respectively.

It was the second successive final for Gajjar, but he was nowhere near his best.

He had stretched Yuki Bhambri to three sets last week. Maybe, the physical inability told on his game, taking the sting away.

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