Eyal leads Israeli advance

By Nandakumar Marar

MUMBAI, OCT. 16. Erlich Eyal likes to keep his opponent on tenterhooks. The top seed from Israel is a huge fellow, blessed with a lot of skill and guile, power for him is a weapon to be used judiciously.

Wildcard Vinod Sridhar's early exuberance gave way to frustration as Eyal overcame anxious initial moments to canter home 6-3, 6-1 at the Dr. G.A. Ranade courts on Tuesday where the International Tennis Federation's men's Futures championships is in progress.

Fellow Israelis Deri Meir and Harel Srugo also kept pace with the top seed by clinching second round berths. Meir had it easy against India's Ravikrishna Palivela, winning 6-2, 6-2, while fifth-seeded Srugo survived a stiff challenge from Vijay Kannan before winning 7-6 (8-6), 6-4.

Meir's next opponent is Sunil Kumar Sipaeya, a talented Indian looking to establish his name in the senior ranks. Srugo duels with Rohan Bopanna.

Saurav Panja became the third qualifier to advance into the second round, outlasting an exhausted Nitin Kirtane, who took two medical timeouts before succumbing 6-4, 4-6, 2-6 in a first round match spanning two hours, eight minutes. It was a typical cut-and-thrust contest between two combatants familiar with each other's game, the only question mark being the second- seeded Kirtane's suspect physical condition. It is learnt he was taking medication for an ear ailment, which combined with the extreme humidity, proved decisive.

Tempers flared over a line-call, fueling Panja's resolve with a renewed sense of purpose after the first set loss. Kirtane managed three breaks in the first set, served two aces in the second set but lapsed into double-faults, three in the fifth game, after being overcome by exhaustion. Panja sensed his chance, capitalised on the openings provided to win the next two sets.

The tall, powerfully-built Eyal loves to dictate terms from the baseline but is alert for the slightest opportunity at the net. A crosscourt forehand winner from the baseline in the second game of the first set not only left Vinod Sridhar rooted to his spot, but was also an indication of events to follow. The beauty of the shot was that the Israeli shaped for a backhand swing but ran round the ball after it bounced and won the point on the forehand.

The muscular Indian, however, is not one to be intimidated, as was evident in the fourth game. A forehand down- the-line pass was followed by another deft backhand crosscourt winner, taking the Israeli by surprise with the control and accuracy in his shots. Sridhar's joy at having achieved the first service break of the match was short-lived. A double-fault, followed by a forehand drop not clearing the net resulted in the horrified Indian dropping serve in the fifth.

Eyal took over from there, using the remainder of the first set to get a feel of the court and hone his strokeplay, a huge forehand hit with minimum backswing and stunning timing being his main weapon. He also set up points very well, concentrating on Sridhar's backhand and putting away volleys at the net with ease. The Indian's frustration was mounting and except for a superbly controlled backhand crosscourt winner at full stretch with the score 3-3, the game slipped away from his hands. The top seed was unstoppable in the second set, accomplishing his victory and place in the second round in 70 minutes.

The results:

Singles first round (Indians unless specified): 1-Erlich Eyal (Isr) bt Vinod Sridhar 6-3, 6-1; Raviv Volkovitzky (Isr) bt Kedar Shah 7-5, 6-7 (3-7), 6-1; Shivang Mishra bt Sushant Bihani 7-5, 6-4; Tomas Janda (Cze) bt 6-Rishi Sridhar 2-6, 6-2, 6-2; 3-Jurek Stasia (Aut) bt Yasser Arafat Mohammed 6-3, 6-2; Tim Wilkinson (US) bt Udaykumar Reddy 6-2, 6-1; 7-Prahlad Srinath bt Tomas Hladil (Cze) 6-2, 6-2; Deri Meir (Isr) bt Ravikrishna Palivela 6- 2, 6-2; 4-Manoj Mahadevan bt Sidharth Sharma 6-3, 6-0; 5-Harel Srugo (Isr) bt Vijay Kannan 7-6 (8-6), 6-4; Rohan Bopanna bt Pratim Parikh 6-1, 3-6, 6-3; Vijayendra Laad bt Arunprakash Rajagopalan 6-1, 6-4; Saurav Panja bt 2-Nitin Kirtane 4-6, 6-4, 6-2.

Doubles (first round): R. Bopanna/V. Kannan bt Abhishek Tamhane/Kedar Tembe 7-6 (7-5), 6-2; Kamala Kannan/A. Rajagopalan 6-4, 7-5 (7-2); Deri Meir/Eliran Dooyev (Isr) bt Shivshankar Kanbargimath/Vinod Sridhar 6-3, 6-3; S. Mishra/Roy Sichel (Isr) bt Anant Kumar Anumaganti/Vishal Punna 7- 5, 3-6, 6-1; P. Srinath/A. Ramaswamy bt V. Laad/Sunil Kumar 6-4, 7-5; S. Panja/K. Shah bt E. Stern/R. Volkovitzky (Isr) 6-2, 6-4; T. Hladil/T. Janda (Cze) bt Y.A. Mohammed/U. Reddy 6-4, 6-3; N. Kirtane/Sandeep Kirtane bt M. Mahadevan/R. Sridhar 7-6 (7-5), 7- 5.

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