The Hindu : Sport / Tennis : Gajjar outlasts top seed Tekeuchi

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Gajjar outlasts top seed Tekeuchi

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: Rohan Gajjar asserted his strong all-round game as he outlasted the top-seeded Kento Tekeuchi of Japan 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-3 in the quarterfinals of the Central Bank $15,000 ITF men’s Futures tennis tournament at the DLTA Complex here on Thursday.

It was an impressive performance by Gajjar who does have the game to beat anyone at this level, but lets go the opportunity most of the time, apparently for want of the drive to succeed.

Tekeuchi looked to have lost the heart for a fight once he lost the second set tie-break, and he was a step slow to the ball as the heat and humidity got to him.

In contrast, the Mumbai-based Gajjar was concentration personified, and had the incentive to play his best as his doting father was watching the match. Gajjar broke the Japanese in the first game of the decider to wrest the initiative and served superbly to stay ahead.

He broke the Japanese in the ninth game to put the finishing touches to a quality game.

Gajjar fired nine aces to remove the last foreigner left in the field and it was a gratifying scenario for the coaches associated with the Commonwealth Games programme as all the four semifinalists were part of the scheme.

In the semifinals, Gajjar will take on Ashutosh Singh who continued his terrific run by outwitting the reigning National champion V.M. Ranjeet 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(3) in a gripping contest that lasted two hours and 59 minutes.

Though he could not serve out the match in the 12th game of the decider after breaking Ranjeet in the previous game, Ashutosh pulled it off in the tie-break as he raced to a 6-1 lead, serving two aces along the way.

Class act

Favourite Yuki Bhambri was a class act and outclassed Divij Sharan in straight sets, to set up a semifinal against the second-seeded Vishnu Vardhan.

Vishnu was stretched to a tie-break in the second set by Rupesh Roy but packed enough firepower to wriggle out of his opponent’s clutches.

The results:

Singles (quarterfinals): Rohan Gajjar bt Kento Takeuchi (Jpn) 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-3; Ashutosh Singh bt V.M. Ranjeet 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(3); Yuki Bhambri bt Divij Sharan 6-2, 6-4; Vishnu Vardhan bt Rupesh Roy 6-2, 7-6(7).

Doubles (semifinals): Gajjar & Purav bt Vivek & Ashutosh 7-6(7), 3-6, 10-6; Divij &Vishnu bt Vijayant & Navdeep 6-3, 6-2.

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