Date:11/09/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/11/stories/2008091161532300.htm

Sport - Tennis

Abhishek cruises into quarterfinals

Principal Correspondent

CHENNAI: S.V. Abhishek, the second seed, drubbed N. Sai Kartik 6-0, 6-1 to reach the quarterfinals of the India Cements-International Tennis Federation junior tournament at SDAT-Nungambakam Stadium here on Wednesday.

Possessing a unique but effective service action, Abhishek didn’t have to exert too much as his opponent caved in meekly without exploring the options — he had many — available to him. Neither could Sai control his shots nor could he go for outright winners whenever he was presented with a chance.

In double quick time, Abhishek raced to a 4-0 lead in the first set breaking the Andhra Pradesh lad in the second and fourth games. The only game when Sai produced a semblance of a fight was in the first when he took the Vizag lad to deuce. He hit a few delectable winners from the backcourt — he hardly ever came to the net unlike the second seed — and did wrongfoot Abhishek a couple of times.

Unforced errors

In the second set, there wasn’t a trace of a fightback from Sai, who given his basic shot-making abilities, could have perhaps troubled Abhishek. Instead, he made numerous unforced errors at the drop of a hat and only succeeded in throwing his racquet out of frustration on several occasions.

Other results (Indians unless mentioned): Boys (pre-quarterfinals): Rishab Dev bt Mohit Mayur 2-6, 6-3, 4-4 (conceded); Saurabh Singh bt Vinod Gowda 6-3, 6-7 (3), 4-5 (conceded); Vishwajit Tirumurti bt Nihal Kapoor 6-3, 6-4; A. Muddappa bt Vedant Kapoor 6-3, 6-2; Genki Hosoya (Jpn) bt Sumeet Shinde 6-3, 7-6 (3). Second round: Rishab Dev bt Siddharth Sivakumar 6-2, 6-3; Saurabh Singh bt Dineshkantha Thangarajah (SL) 6-2, 6-2; Rajput Shantanu bt S. Kamal 6-1, 6-1; Shahbaaz Khan bt R. Ramkumar 6-4, 6-2; Nihal Kapoor bt Elwin Antony 2-6, 7-6(7), 6-1; Vedant Kapoor bt Kaushal Mehta 6-4, 6-0; N. Sai Kartik bt Chetan Pandit 6-1, 6-2; Vinod Gowda bt Alla Srikar 7-6 (3), 7-5; Vishwajit Tirumurti bt Mansingh Athare 7-6(5), 6-4; Mohit Mayur bt Jugal Marfatia 7-5, 6-2; A. Muddappa bt Irfan Hussain 7-6(3), 6-2; Sumeet Shinde bt Prosenjit Paul 6-1, 7-6(3); Genki Hosoya bt Rohit Bisht 6-0, 6-7(5), 6-0; S.V. Abhishek bt Shikar Kapur 6-3,7-6(5).

Girls (pre-quarterfinals): Prerna Bhambri bt Vaidehi Bhagvat 6-1, 6-0; Vaniya Dangwal bt U.M. Shalaka 6-1, 6-0; Sharmada Balu bt Smriti Joon 6-2, 6-2. Second round: Aishwarya Agarwal bt Zainab Ali Sajjad 6-0, 2-6, 6-0; V. Archana bt Shraddha Dali 6-0, 6-1; T. Neesha (Mas) bt Ankita Bhatia 3-6, 7-5, 6-2; Sanjana Sharon Paul bt Prarthana Thombare 5-7, 6-2, 6-3; Garima Vatwani bt Elli Share (GBr) 6-3, 6-3; Nova Patel bt Preethi Srinivasan 6-4, 6-4; Adnya Naik bt B. Sowjanya 6-4, 7-6; Natasha Palha bt Sayali Bhilare 6-1, 6-2; Nimisha Mohan bt Riddhi Hegde 6-2, 6-1; Vaniya Dangwat bt R. Bhavani 6-1, 5-1 (conceded); Prerna Bhambri bt P. Sindhu Nila 6-3, 7-6 (4); Smriti Joon bt Nidhi Chiilumula 7-5, 6-3; Arushi Sharma bt Susita Das 7-5, 6-4; Sharmada Balu bt Jaanesh Kaur 6-0, 6-1; Vaidehi Bhagvat bt Sushma Gutta 6-4, 6-4.