The Hindu : Heuberger drubs Udomchoke, bags title

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, May 04, 2003

Sport

Sport - Tennis

Heuberger drubs Udomchoke, bags title

By Kamesh Srinivasan

Switzerland's Ivo Heuberger, who won the Indian Oil Servo Challenger tennis tournament in New Delhi on Saturday. — Photo: Sandeep Saxena

NEW DELHI MAY 3. A heavy dust storm gave way to a pleasant atmosphere in the evening, but the game did not really hot up in the final as Ivo Heuberger of Switzerland beat Danai Udomchoke of Thailand 6-2, 6-3 to win the Indian Oil Servo $25,000 Challenger tennis tournament at the R.K. Khanna Stadium here on Saturday.

Having struggled to breathe in the morning during the training session because of the dusty atmosphere, Heuberger was not obviously well tuned for the climax. His first serves were wavered through the match, though he did deliver seven aces. He hit a few fine winners too, with the backhand down the line working.

Yet, the Swiss young man, who had beaten Goran Ivanisevic and Max Mirnyi in making the quarterfinals of the Tour event in Rotterdam last year, played an all-round game with considerable intensity and focus to deny any chance for the Thai challenger ranked 217.

The 160th-ranked Heuberger broke Udomchoke in the sixth and eighth games to race away with the first set. He did face a breakpoint in the seventh game following a double fault, but Heuberger served three aces in that game to make sure that he did not slip.

In the second set, Udomchoke saved two breakpoints in the second game, but was too erratic with his groundstrokes that saw him hit the net too often and was broken in the fourth game.

At this stage, Heuberger knew that he had the match in his pocket and did not allow the Thai to get back into the contest though the latter had two breakpoints in the long-drawn seventh game.

In the ninth game, Udomchoke saved a match point as Heuberger hit a backhand into the net after a long rally, but the Swiss smacked an overhead on the next point, and clenched his fist to signal an emphatic victory.

``I am very happy with this title. I knew that he likes to rally and was prepared for that. I was able to hold my serve though he had a few chances. I could attack his serve," said Heuberger, who was quite pleased to collect 50 ATP points and $3,600.

The Swiss felt that the biggest positive aspect for him during the two weeks of tournaments in India was that he played nine matches and his back held on without troubling him. Heuberger had missed the early part of the season with a back injury, and felt that he could enter the next level soon and break into the top 100.

The semifinal last week in Bangalore and the title here now has boosted Heuberger's confidence a lot more than his position on the ATP computer.

``The most important thing is that I can play now. I am very happy about that. I go back home to rest for a week and then go for a Challenger in Slovakia followed by the French Open," said Heuberger, as he looked forward to an exciting season ahead.

On the other hand, Udomchoke was not too disappointed with the tame end, and said that he could not get his first serves.

``He attacked my second serves and it was not my day. It was his match. I couldn't do anything," said Udomchoke, who had made his maiden entry into a Challenger final.

``I am happy with my effort overall, as I beat the top seed (the 105th-ranked John Van Lottum of the Netherlands) and made my first final, a big effort for me after a string of semifinals. I will go to the Challenger in Uzbekistan and then play the French Open qualifying event," said Udomchoke, who pocketed 35 ATP points and $2,120.

Lukaev-Vlasov duo triumphs

In the doubles final, the unseeded Radoslav Lukaev and Dmitry Vlasov beat the second-seeded Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram 7-6 (8-6), 4-6, 6-2 to clinch the title.

The effort was worth 50 ATP points and $1,550 for the winning team. The runner-up collected 35 ATP points and shared $900.

The results (finals):

Singles: Ivo Heuberger (Sui) bt Danai Udomchoke (Tha) 6-2, 6-3.

Doubles: Radoslav Lukaev (Bul)/Dmitry Vlasov (Rus) bt Jonathan Erlich/Andy Ram (Isr) 7-6 (8-6), 4-6, 6-2.

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