Olympian and Davis cupper defeated Saran Sai Reddy to enter next round
Olympian and Davis Cupper Vishnu Vardhan
New Delhi: Top seed Karunuday Singh survived a scare in the first round of the Fenesta Open national tennis championship, while Olympian and Davis Cupper Vishnu Vardhan surged into the second round, at the RK Khanna Stadium here on Tuesday.Unseeded Sasikumar Mukund of Tamil Nadu made the Haryana lad toil for two hours and 50 minutes before the latter won 3-6, 7-5, 6-4.
It was Sasikumar who dictated terms in the first set and raced to a 3-0 lead, and then got crucial break points in the sixth game to take a 4-2 lead and the set soon.The second set was a contrast, with Karunuday looking more focused. He managed to stretch the match to the next set, with a 7-5 verdict. In the decider, Sasikumar broke Karunuday early in the third game but was soon troubled with back pains. Sasikumar called for medical attention after the seventh game, but could not continue his brilliant form on return. Karunuday seized the opportunity, wrapping up the set and hence the match.
Vishnu, who is playing the nationals after 2011, powered his way into the second round with a 7-5, 6-4 win over Andhra Pradesh’s Saran Sai Reddy. Second seed Vishnu took an hour and 35 minutes to shade Saran.In other men’s singles first round matches, former champion V.M. Ranjeet recorded a comfortable 6-4, 6-2 win over eight seed Vinod Sridhar, while Garvit Batra edged past Lakshit Sood 6-4, 1-6, 6-4.
Fourth seed Nitten Kirrtane entered the second round after Arpit Sharma retired hurt. Maharashtra’s Kirrtane led 6-2, 2-0 before Sharma pulled out. In the women’s singles competition, top seed Rishika Sunkara looked beat C. Sai Samhita 6-3, 6-4 while sixth seed Vaishnavi Peddireddy sailed into the next stage, defeating Swetha Sreehari 6-2, 6-0.
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