Top seed Niki Poonacha overcame a slow start to subdue the energetic Dalwinder Singh 2-6, 7-5, 6-3 with a crafty performance in the semifinals of the Fenesta National tennis championship here on Friday.
In the final, Poonacha will be challenged by second seed Aryan Goveas. The latter put up a vibrant performance to tame the big game of Kunal Anand 6-4, 6-2.
Poonacha was hitting the tape or missing the lines in the first set, and a change of strategy worked wonders for him in the next two sets. Dalwinder was a break up in the second after winning the first, before Niki came to life with his explosive game to emerge the winner.
“I had played him twice earlier this year, and had won one match. I was a bit nervous in the end,” said Poonacha who missed three match points, including two with double faults.
Goveas came up with a robust fare, to turn the tide in his favour in both the sets, after Kunal had taken a 3-1 lead in the first set and 2-0 lead in the second.
He served big and hammered the winners at will.
“My backhand is getting better, that is an advantage. I had not trained for two weeks after retiring from my match in Cairo, with a shoulder strain. So, I was not that consistent in the earlier matches,” said Goveas, who has been getting better with every match.
In the women’s section, it was experience that had the final say, as top seed Sowjanya Bavisetti beat Vaidehi Chaudhary 6-3, 7-5 while four-time champion Prerna Bhambri outplayed Jagmeet Kaur 6-2, 6-1.
In the under-18 boys event, the diminutive Udit Gogoi fought past Rohan Mehra in straight sets. He will challenge the all-round game of Madhwin Kamath, who sailed past Mann Shah.
The best-ranked junior in the country, Mann Shah had competed in the main draw of the Australian Open and the qualifying event of the US Open this season, but struggled with an abdomen strain this day.
In the girls event, Rashmikaa Shrivalli Bhamidipaty outplayed Prerna Vichare to make her second successive final. Last year, she had lost to Humera Shaik and will try to add the junior crown in the final against the fighter, Sandeepti Singh Rao, who beat Reshma Maruri in three sets.
The results: Men: Semifinals): Niki Poonacha bt Dalwinder Singh 2-6, 7-5, 6-3; Aryan Goveas bt Kunal Anand 6-4, 6-2. Doubles (final): Ishaque Eqbal & Mohit Mayur w/o Niki Poonacha & S.D. Prajwal Dev.
Women: Semifinals: Sowjanya Bavisetti bt Vaidehi Chaudhari 6-3, 7-5; Prerna Bhambri bt Jagmeet Kaur 6-2, 6-1. Doubles (final): Sowjanya Bavisetti & Rishika Sunkara bt Sai Dedeepya & Sara Yadav 6-2, 6-3.
Under-18 boys: Semifinals: Udit Gogoi bt Rohan Mehra 6-2, 7-5; Madhwin Kamath bt Mann Maulik Shah 6-3, 6-2. Doubles (final): Madhwin Kamath & Mann Maulik Shah bt Boopathy Sakthivel & Udit Gogoi 7-5, 6-2.
Under-18 girls: Semifinals: Rashmikaa Shrivalli Bhamidipaty bt Prerna Vichare 6-0, 6-1; Sandeepti Singh Rao bt Reshma Maruri 4-6, 6-2, 6-4. Doubles (final): Prerna Vichare & Sarah Dev bt Sanjana Sirimalla & Sudipta Senthilkumar 6-4, 6-2 .
