The Hindu : Vishaal Uppal fails to qualify

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Feb 13, 2003

Sport

Sport - Tennis

Vishaal Uppal fails to qualify

NEW DELHI FEB. 12. Vishaal Uppal won many matches but had a tough time trying to qualify into the main draw from events featuring 128 players in the Australian Satellite circuit.

Seeded 13, Vishaal lost in the fourth and final round 6-7 (7-9), 6-3, 5-7 to Matt Daly of the US in the third week of the Satellite circuit at Taree. Earlier, he had beaten Australians, Gareth Keating 3-6, 6-0, 6-4 and Tim Grobby 6-2, 6-2 after a bye in the first.

Vishaal had to play the qualifying event in doubles as well with Lauri Kiiski of Finland, and the duo went down 4-6, 6-0, 0-1 (7-9) to the second-seeded Philipp Mullner and Herbert Wiltschnig of Austria. The third set was restricted to the tie-break.

In the second week in Gosford, the third-seeded Vishaal lost in the fourth and final qualifying round to Michael Zverev of Germany 4-6, 6-7 (3-7). The German went on to make the semifinals in the main draw.

Earlier Vishaal beat Matthew Lucas of the US 6-2, 6-2; Thomas Green of Australia 6-4, 6-2 and Philip Horyana of Switzerland 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 in that order.

He got to play the main draw in doubles, and was in fact seeded third with Lauri Kiiski. The Indo-Finnish duo, however, went down 1-6, 4-6 to wild card entrants Grant Silcock and Robert Smeets of Australia in the first round.

There were three others Indians in the circuit. Gurmehar Singh beat compatriot and training partner Ashutosh Singh 6-4, 6-3 in the first qualifying round of the third week before losing to the eighth-seeded Shannon Nettle of Australia 0-6, 0-6. Amit Singh lost in the first qualifying round 1-6, 0-6 to Mark Hiscoke of Australia.

In the second week, Ashutosh Singh beat Tony Nikolov of Australia 6-2, 6-1 before losing 3-6, 2-6 to the second-seeded Yu Wang jr. in the second qualifying round. Gurmehar Singh lost 2-6, 6-7 (4-7) to Aaron Kosub of Australia and Amit Singh lost to Andrew Bognar of Australia 6-3, 3-6, 2-6 in other first qualifying rounds.

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