The Hindu : Nitin's fighting qualities to the fore

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Apr 22, 2002

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Sport - Tennis

Nitin's fighting qualities to the fore

By Our Special Correspondent

An elated Nitin Kirtane poses for the lensmen after claiming the men's singles title at the Gannon Dunkerley All India Open tennis championship in Mumbai on Sunday.

Mumbai April 21. Nitin Kirtane is one of those blokes who appears to be languid, careless and unconcerned about the state of match he is involved in. He is also a delight for the photographers with his expressions and gestures.

The left-hander from Pune has been a prowler in the National circuit for years and he has, not changed, one bit. Despite all these odd and funny habits what has not diminished is his hunger for victory.

On a sweltering afternoon at the Khar Gymkhana on Sunday, Nitin was down on the mat against Sandeep, also from the Kirtane household, but after battling it out with his rival for almost two hours, he walked away with the singles title of the Gannon Dunkerley Rs. 2,50,000 All-India Open men's championship. He walked home with a trophy and a purse of Rs. 32,500.

It was hard work for Nitin. At the outset, he knew that Sandeep, despite enjoying banters off court, would not give a quarter as an opponent on court. Even before the faithful oldies of the suburban gymkhana settled into their seats hoping for a lovely and entertaining Sunday evening fare, wild card entrant Sandeep, who is teaching the basics to the youth of the city, took the first set with ease.

Sandeep was sharper, accurate and hit many winners. He broke Nitin early, held on to the lead and wrapped up the first set in less than three quarters of an hour. Both hit from the back of the court heavily spun shots and sliced returns. When the opportunity came, Sandeep charged and slammed home winners — all superb ground strokes skimming the tape. It may seem incredible, but there was only one high quality volley hit and it was Nitin's in the eighth game. And it was the only volley winner in the entire match !

It was advantage Sandeep straightaway in the second set too as Nitin struggled to win his first service game. Both appeared to be affected by the heat and humidity, but managed to hold on to their serves, before Sandeep dropped his first game of the match, the sixth of the second set. If his shots turned out to be outright winners initially, it deserted him as the match progressed at a slow pace.

To his dismay, Sandeep found his shots hitting the middle of the net than making Nitin bend and stretch for returns. For his part, the left-hander, hung on, slicing returns deep. This tactic paid off as Sandeep, who had mixed his strokes well in the opening set, was not given leeway in the form of too many short balls. Nitin proved he was a stayer, winning the second set, forcing his opponent to make unforced errors.

Nitin was in trouble in the third game (15-40) of the final set, but hammered three winners including a superb lob. As it transpired, Sandeep dropped two games in the third set to lose the match. One might be tempted to say that he flattered to deceive, but Nitin proved that he was a fighter and justified the top billing he had earned by claiming the crown on the same court last year.

Nitin had realised his ambition of defending his crown and nobody, not even Sandeep, would have grudged it.

Kirtanes join hands

The doubles final turned out to be a humdinger. The Kirtanes dropped the opening set but got into the act, winning the second and third on tie-breakers which was marked by long rallies. The victory fetched the Kirtanes a prize money of Rs. 15,750.

The results:

Men's singles (final): 1-Nitin Kirtane bt Sandeep Kirtane 3-6, 6-2, 6-4.

Men's doubles (final): Nitin Kirtane/Sandeep Kirtane bt Rishi Sridhar/Amod Wakalkar 2-6, 7-6 (17-15), 7-6 (9-7).

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