Date:16/06/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/06/16/stories/2007061602221800.htm

Sport - Tennis

Prakash Amritraj rallies past Sunil Kumar

Special Correspondent

Prakash Amritraj emphasised his strength of character as he rallied to beat Sunil Kumar 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the semifinals of the $10,000 ITF men's Futures tennis tournament at the DLTA Complex here on Friday.

In his third final on the trot in the current circuit, Amritraj will once again be challenged by Karan Rastogi, who stopped the strong-built Vishnu Vardhan with a surprisingly easy 6-4, 6-1 verdict. For the first time in three weeks, the 23-year-old Amritraj looked considerably low on energy and it was no surprise that he dropped serve twice in the first set.

However, the talented Sunil Kumar failed to sustain the tempo and let the big server back into the match.

"It was one of those days when I was low on energy. I had a chat with my dad and the trainer. They said that it does happen and that is the test of one's character," said Amritraj.

Once he broke Sunil in the first game of the second, Amritraj seemed content to ride the early break to take the set, dropping a mere four points on serve.

Risky strategy

"It was a risky strategy, but I was serving well," explained Amritraj.

He broke Sunil in the fifth game of the decider and sailed into the final converting his third matchpoint in a dramatic tenth game. In the doubles final, played in the evening after a brief spell of rain, the diminutive Tushar Liberhan and Sanam Singh overcame Taipei lads, Hsin-Han Lee and Tsung-Hua Yang in straight sets to pocket their maiden title.

The doubles winners collected 18 ATP points and split $630.

The results: Singles (Semifinals): Karan Rasogi bt Vishnu Vardhan 6-4, 6-1; Prakash Amritraj bt Sunil Kumar 3-6, 6-4, 6-4. Doubles (final): Tushar Liberhan and Sanam Singh bt Hsin-Han Lee and Tsung-Hua Yang (Tpe) 6-4, 7-5.