Mahadevan creates a flutter, rest falter

Mahadevan creates a flutter, rest falter
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

MUMBAI NOVEMBER 22: Indians continued to have a bad run on the third day running in the US $ 10,000 ITF Futures Tennis Tournament at the Dr GA Ranade tennis complex here on Wednesday.

The Indian challenge in both singles and the doubles event fizzled out with only Manoj Mahadevan making the last eight stage of the singles event. Mahadevan caused a major upset when he beat third seed Michal Mertinak of Slovakia 6-4, 2-6, 6-4. Manoj now meets qualifier John Doran of Ireland in the quarters.

Among the other Indians who played on Wednesday, Rohan Bopanna squandered four match points in his match against second-seeded Slovakian Viktor Bruthans.

Bopanna won the first set 6-3, but Bruthans came back into the match by winning the second set easily at 6-1.

In the final set when it appeared that Bopanna had all but won the match when he led 5-2, he let go of four match points to allow Bruthans to stage a comeback and win at 7-5.

In the doubles quarter-finals as well, the Indians faltered as the second seeded duo of Vishal Uppal and Mustafa Ghouse lost to the Indo-Irish pair of Kedar Shah and John Doran 3-6, 4-6.

The only other Indian duo in the last eight stage, Rohan Bopanna and Vijay Kannan, gave a good account of themselves but lost to the tournament favourites and top-seeded Slovakian pair of Viktor Bruthans and Branislav Sekac 4-6, 7-6, 5-7.

Results

Singles (2nd round): Juraj Hasko (Svk) bt Anton Kokurin (Uzb) 6-3, 3-6, 6-3; Tomas Janci (Svk) bt Kedar Tembe (Ind) 7-5, 6-2; Miloslav Grolmus (Svk) bt Ondues Chvapil (Cze) 6-4, 2-1 (ret); Branislav Seklac (Svk) bt Efe Ustundag (Tur) 6-4, 6-0; John Doran (Ire) bt Baptiste Dupuy (Fra) 7-6 (10-8), 7-6 (7-0); Manoj Mahadevan (Ind) bt Michal Mertinak (Svk) 6-4, 2-6, 6-4; Kamil Patel (Mri) bt Maharishi Sridhar (Ind) 6-3, 4-6, 6-4; Viktor Bruthans (Svk) bt Rohan Bopanna (Ind) 3-6, 6-1, 7-5;

Doubles (QF): Kedar Shah (Ind)/ John Doran (Ire) bt Vishal Uppal (Ind)/ Mustafa Ghouse (Ind) 6-3, 6-4; Viktor Bruthans (Svk)/ Branislav Sekac (Svk) bt Rohan Bopanna (Ind)/ Vijay Kannan (Ind) 4-6, 7-6, 5-7; Janci Tomas (Svk)/ Michal Mertinak (Svk) bt Anton Kokurin (Uzb)/ Sergi Krotiouk (Rus) 6-3, 6-4; Ben Guzzelak (Gbr)/ Jonathan Marrai (Gbr) bt Juraj Hasko (Svk)/ Josef Nesticky (Cze) 6-4, 6-3.