2002 "Indian Oil Servo" Men's Invitational, KTC, Chennai ========================================================= Final - Thursday, 26 December, 2002 (earlier reports below) ----------------------------------------------------------- Harsh Mankad bt Ajay Ramaswami 6-2; 6-4. Harsh Mankad beat the defending champion Ajay Ramaswami in straight sets in a match that lasted less than aan hour and a half. He got off the blocks quickly and the first set was over before Ajay could even get into the match. Ajay picked up in the second set and was up a service break on two occasions but by 3-3, Harsh had levelled. He was serving first and in the tenth game, he applied sufficient pressure on Ajay's serve to win the match. Harsh was going to be the player to best all along and he proved that he was that much better than the rest of the field assembled. In the last couple of years, he has played some big Davis Cup matches and knows how to face different situations. He is also ready to focus on his tennis completely. His battle against Vinod has sharpened him and the wins over Manoj and Ajay should help him this weekend. Likewise, the last two matches were a big bonus for Ajay also who should have been knocked out in the quarter-final, according to the seedings. The two of them must be keeping their fingers crossed for a good draw this Saturday but at least they know they are in good form. Which is the idea of this tournament, in the first place. =============================================================================== Semifinal Matches - Wednesday, 25th December, 2002 -------------------------------------------------- The four semi finalists were all past winners of this tournament and we knew we were in for some good tennis. But the first semi final between Ajay Ramaswami and Nitin Kirtane turned out to be a tame affair. At one point, Ajay led by 6-2 and 3-0. Though Nitin managed to level at 3-3, all he managed was to gain some respect in defeat. Two things tilited the contest in Ajay's favour. His close shave against Vijay Kannan had sharpened him. Secondly, Ajay has spent enough time with Nitin to be aware of the pitfalls while playing him and managed to avoid them easily. The second semi final between Harsh and Vinod turned out to be the match of the tournament . Harsh has always played close matches with Vinod and the latter is playing the best tennis of his life. Vinod served for the first set at 6-5, lost serve and then the tie break. He served for the second set at 5-3, lost that game and broke Harsh to take it to the decider. It was all even at 3-3 in the final set when Harsh broke through in the vital seventh game on his third break point. He held at 15, went to 0-40 in the last game and sealed it on his third match point. Harsh showed a lot more variety and that is what won him in the end. He mixed up coming in and staying back on his serve and return of serve and kept Vinod off balance who on his part was quite content waiting in the baseline for things to happen. In the final analysis, Harsh's greater experience tilted the contest in his favour. So, we now have the room-mates battling it out for the title. ============================================================================= Quarterfinal Matches - Tuesday, 24th December, 2002 --------------------------------------------------- MATCH 1 Harsh Mankad bt Manoj Mahadevan 6-2; 6-2. ----------------------------------------------------- This match did not live up to expectations. It was a good test for the Davis Cupper, Harsh against the current National Grass Court Champion, Manoj. The latter started the match with his serve and lost it after a long game. That set the tone for the rest of the contest. Harsh did not lose his serve throughout the two sets and was able to keep Manoj under constant pressure. Manoj never did recover from the initial setback and this was a disappointing performance from him. MATCH 2 Ajay Ramaswami bt Vijay Kannan 3-6; 7-6 (3); 3-1 (40-15); conceded ------------------------------------------------------------------------- This was a repeat of last year's final and the two players have been short of confidence lately. Vijay Kannan took control of the match winning the first set 6-3 and built up a 5-3 lead in the second set. Ajay serving in the ninth game faced two match points after deuce was called. He scrambled out of the tight corner and that took the wind out of Vijay's sails. He won only one point as he served for the match and though he took the set to a tie break, the momentum had clearly shifted. Ajay broke early in the decider and with the score at 1-3; 15-40; Vijay conceeded. He was feeling unwell and could not continue. MATCH 3 Nitin Kirtane bt Som Dev Varman 6-4; 6-2. -------------------------------------------------- A match against Nitin Kirtane is a must for any up and coming player and Som Dev got just that. The youngster had showed fine form in defeating Kamala Kannan yesterday and was striking the ball cleanly. The only problem was that he was not getting enough pace from the other side of the net. Nitin, using his slice backhand and top-spin forehand kept the youngster off balance. He was able to draw a lot of unforced errors from Som Dev and though the match was well contested with a lot of interesting rallies, Nitin was always a step ahead of his opponent and never was behind in any part of the match. MATCH 4 Vinod Sridhar bt Punna Vishal 6-4; 6-0. ------------------------------------------------ Vinod Sridhar kept local interest alive with a straight set victory over Vishal. A part winner of this tournament, Vinod trains regularly at KTC and is very much at home in these conditions. Vishal, of course had his big breakthrough at Hyderabad last week but had to work overtime. He looked a bit jaded and as the match went, it was evident that he did not have enough gas in the tank and he went down tamely in the second set. ====================================================================== First Round Matches -- Monday, 23rd December, 2002 -------------------------------------------------- Match 1 Ajay Ramaswami bt Jaco Mathew 6-1; 7-5. ------------------------------------------------- Ajay Ramaswami, the defending champion started the proceedings against Jaco, who was coming back from a lay-off. Jaco started slowly to lose the first set tamely but he did get an early break of serve in the second set. Ajay also had some anxious moments in the end. Serving at 4-5, he had to fight off a set point and serving for the match at 6-5, Ajay went down 0-40 but found some timely first serves which included an ace to complete a straight set victory. Match 2 Manoj Mahadevan bt V.M.Ranjeet 6-2; 6-4. -------------------------------------------------- On the adjoining court, Manoj had a routine two set victory against his younger opponent. He did not lose his serve the whole time and this should sharpen him up for his match against Harsh Mankad tomorrow. Ranjeet still has another year in the juniors and the experience of playing a senior player should help him. Match 3 Punna Vishal bt. R.Arun Prakash 6-3; 6-4. --------------------------------------------------- In a battle of serve and volleyers, Punna Vishal came through to face Vinod Sridhar in the quarter final. Vishal had struck a purple patch in the just concluded National Games and he made sure he continued with the good work. A single break of serve decided the first set. Arun Prakash did break through to lead 4-2 in the second set but Vishal ran off with the last four games to make sure the match did not go the full distance. Match 4 Som Dev Varman bt Kamala Kannan 6-3; 4-6; 6-4. -------------------------------------------------------- In the only three set match of the day, Som Dev Varman created an upset by defeating Kamala Kannan. The two represented Tamil Nadu in the National Games and had to travel overnight to reach Chennai just a few hours before their match. Som Dev started quickly and built up a one set and a 3-1 lead in the second set. He looked like he was coasting for a quick upset. Kamala Kannan raised his game and Som Dev tightened up just a bit to let his senior opponent back in the match. Som Dev again broke through early in the third set but it still looked anybody's match. At 3-2, Som Dev served out a 20 point game which turned out to be crucial. Both players were having problems with cramps and the youngster served out the last few games easily to score an upset.