Ramkumar Ramanathan may have lost to Tunisian World No. 45 Malek Jaziri 6-7(6), 7-6(5), 6-3 in a fierce contest which stretched into the wee hours of Thursday, but the performance has given him a lot of confidence. The effort came on the back of his victory over former top-20 player Marcel Granollers in the first round of the Tata Open Maharashtra.
“It was a very very close game and I gave my best,” Ramkumar said. “I played very well against Marcel and against Jaziri too it was a good effort even though I lost. I was feeling good on the court and I think I am on the right track.”
As closely matched as the two players were, especially in the first two sets, Ramkumar clearly had the better chances to turn the tie his way. At 5-5 in the second set, Jaziri was down 15-40, but the Indian couldn’t capitalise. In all, Ramkumar squandered four break points in that set alone and also threw away a 3-0 lead in the tie-break.
Implosion
The third set was an implosion; where he didn’t allow Jaziri a single shy at his serve in the second, he was broken thrice in the third, including the game at 3-3 in which he served three double faults.
“It was a pity that I couldn’t pull it off,” the World No. 132 said. “In the second set I had my chances but couldn’t take it. But in the first I was a set point down and still managed to win. So it happens. I just need to keep working hard.”
Among the biggest positives will be the improvement in his all-round game, which complemented his big serve well. It is the kind of tennis Ramkumar felt will help him compete consistently with top-50 players.
“It is very important to focus on playing this level of tennis in every match,” the 24-year-old said.
“But, I would say it is a matter of time. I have put in the hard work and if I stay dedicated, the results will follow.”
