 | « Back to article | Print this article |
It seems Prakash Amritraj has to simply show up to win a match.
The top seed was ensured the smoothest of passages to the semi-finals of the Gail ITF Satellite Masters men's tennis tournament, in Delhi, after his opponent Vinod Sridhar withdrew due to shoulder strain on Wednesday.
Amritraj has almost made sure of the circuit title following the ouster of his nearest rivals, Prima Simpatiaji and Daniel Kiernan on Tuesday.
In the semi-finals, he will face Sunil Kumar Sipaeya, who defeated Hayato Furukawa 6-2, 6-3 in another quarter-final at the DLTA Complex.
The other semi-final will be between Febi Widhiyanto of Indonesia and Malaysian Yew Ming Si.
Widhiyanto breezed past Hiu Tung Yu of Hong Kong 6-3, 6-0 while Si quelled the challenge of Israeli Eliran Dooyev 6-4, 7-6, (7/3).
The ITF circuit points system could be intriguing at times since it rewards the leading players less as the grind enters the fourth week.
As it is, players who earn maximum ATP points in the first three legs frequently opt out of the Masters to give their body a well earned rest before beginning their campaign in tournaments elsewhere.
So, it was encouraging to see Amritraj still continue his battle for the coveted title. The free passage that he earned today though would be most welcome for the 19-year old.
Amritraj was not so lucky in the doubles events as he and his partner, cousin Stephen Amritraj, were nailed 6-4, 7-6(12/10) by the Thai twins Sonchat Ratiwatana and Sanchai Ratiwatana.
Stephen, who represents his land of birth, the USA, has his left knee strapped due to an injury he sustained sometime ago. Although he has recovered more or less, at times his movements are hampered like it appeared today.
His serves came under frequent pressure, and in the seventh game of the first set the Amritraj cousins were truly stretched.
Ironically, it was Prakash who conceded the break in the ninth game through a double-fault.
The second set though was fiercely fought. Stephen's vulnerability continued but the duo soaked up the pressure very well to push the set into the tie-breaker.
The climax was exciting with both teams returning fire for fire. Finally, after failing to convert four match-points, the Thai twins won when a Prakash forehand caught the tape.
The Sipaeya-Furukawa match saw the return of the baseline duel. Sipaeya, however, had a smooth ride as the Japanese got mired in unforced errors, committing six double faults.
The contest between Si and Dooyev was a better fare although the latter was a bit inconsistent. Si controlled the flow of the match with his efficient serve and volleying.
He broke Dooyev in the third game of the first set and rode on that advantage to go one set up.
In the second, the Israeli got his ground strokes going, and the fact that Si was beginning to lose his sharpness in his serves also helped him.
Dooyev was also given room to swing his forehands and a couple of passing shots portrayed Dooyev's true form. But Si was not to be easily thwarted and in the tie-breaker the Malaysian romped home comfortably.