Former national champion Vishnu Vardhan put his name into the record books by becoming the first champion of the Asian Tennis Tour (ATT) after he beat Sidharth Rawat 7-6(7), 6-3 in the final of the $5,000 event at the DLTA Complex here on Wednesday.
It was a battle of wits, albeit only in the first set, as top seed Vishnu saved two set-points in the tie-break, with strong overheads, before accelerating in the second for a smooth finish.
In the national championship final two years ago, Vishnu had taken three sets to beat Rawat.
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“I knew the first set was crucial. After that it was tough,” said Rawat, who did tease Vishnu till the end.
Vishnu recovered from 0-40, to serve out the match in which he fired 14 aces.
“I have played tough matches with Sidharth. The last time I won in three hours, 7-6 in the third set, in Gwalior. He is a good hard-working player, and I am happy for him,” said Vishnu.
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It was an interesting match with a few intense rallies, and both tried to assert their serving power. Rawat had five aces in the match and was broken only once, in the second set’s fourth game.
Rawat had even got to a set-point in the first-set tie-break, with a spectacular backhand passing-shot. But Vishnu took charge of the net to neutralise the advantage.
“I had not played for about a month and a half, as things did not work out. It is good to get back on the court. I am working on some aspects of my game, and things fell into place in the second set, after I struggled a bit in the first,” said Vishnu.
Vishnu, who had played doubles at the London Olympics with Leander Paes, said that he would listen to his body and play events accordingly, as he plays both singles and doubles.
While the 28-year-old Vishnu will play the next three-day ATT tournament as well beginning on Friday, before the three Futures events in Chandigarh and Ludhiana, Rawat said he would skip the next event and train for the Futures.
The champion collected $900 and the runner-up $600, and both earned the additional allowance of $125 each, like all the 16 players in the main draw.
“It is nice to get a few matches before the Futures. After the Indian circuit, I will be playing in China and Uzbekistan. So, the money will be handy,” said Vishnu.
The result (final): Vishnu Vardhan bt Sidharth Rawat 7-6(7), 6-3.