NEW DELHI, February 14: Nitin Kirtane powered Western Railway to a 2-1 victory over Southern Railway to retain the team championships in the 45th All India Railway Tennis Championship at DTA courts here today.After both teams had won their respective singles matches, Western Railways' pair of Nitin Kirtane and M Balachandran who defeated K G Ramesh and R Manoj Kumar in three sets.
Southern Railway defeated Northern Railway 2-1 to clinch the third place.
Results
Team Championship (final): Western railway bt Southern Railway 2-1 (Nitin Kirtane bt R Manoj Kumar 6-3, 6-7 (6-8), 6-3; Ravi Bhaya lost to K G Ramesh 4-6, 2-6; Nitin Kirtane and M Balachandran bt K G Ramesh and R Manoj Kumar 7-5, 2-6, 6-3).
For 3rd place: South Eastern Railway bt Northern Railway 2-1 (Ram Kumar bt Hanuman Singh 6-0, 6-3; Dilip Kumar lost to Rajesh Vohra 0-6, 2-6; Ram Kumar and Dilip Kumar bt Balram Singh and Rajesh Vohra 5-5 (latter conceded).
Open Singles (1st round) -- best of 17 games): Ram Kumar (SER) bt Dinesh Panwar (CR) 9-1. (2nd round): Venkatesh (ICF) bt Dilip Kumar (SER) 5-1 (latter conceded); Siddharth Verma (ER) bt Hanuman Singh (NR) 9-3; Rajesh Vohra (NR) bt Anwar Ali (ER) 9-2.
Veterans singles (semi-finals): Kanwarjit Singh (RB) bt S K Sharma (RDSO) 6-1, 6-1.
Veterans doubles (quarter-finals): A C Bakshi (RB) and R M Agarwal (RCF) bt P Vasudevan (RB) and P K Wahi (RB) 7-6, 6-2; S K Sharma (RDSO) and Dasrath (NR) bt K Balakesari (RB) and A Mahato (CLW) 6-2, 6-4. (semi-final): Amrit Malhotra (ICF) and Deepak Kishan (RB) bt A C Bakshi (RB) and R M Agarwal (RCF) 6-0, 6-0.
Copyright © 1999 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.