Tata Open Maharashtra 2018: Kevin enters final, Yuki Bhambri-Divij Sharan crash out
Pune: Just like Gilles Simon in the first semi-final, Second seed Kevin Anderson of South Africa showed a great fightback after being down by a set to win the match 6-7 (6), 7-6 (2) 6-1 against French fourth-seeded wild card Benoît Paire of France to enter the final of the inaugural Tata Open Maharashtra ATP 250 Series tournament.
The first set was a closely contested between the two before Paire took the set to the tiebreak and in the end, it was the French player who held his nerve to clinch the first set 8-6 in tie-breaker.
While Paire had upper hand in most of the way during the match, the momentum completely changed after second-set also went into a tiebreak, which Anderson won with a convincing 7-2 scoreline.
The third set was a one-way traffic as Anderson blew away his French opponent 6-1 to secure passage into the final.
Speaking about his victory he said “I had a bit of an upper hand in the first set, but it didn’t go as planned. In the second set, during the tie-breaker, I was able to control the points. Paire is a tricky opponent. He moves well and has an amazing backhand. He is also crafty on the court. I am glad I could capitalize on my opportunities,” .
The South African tennis player felt that eventhough he had to fight it out till the end, the match was an ide preparation for the upcoming Australian Open in Melbourne.
“I wish I could win easier, but this is great preparation for Australia. I feel healthy and I think I did what I needed to do to get to the finals,” he said.
Yuki Bhambri- Divij Sharan crash out in semifinal
Indian challenge at the ATP 250 Series tournament finally ended after doubles pair of Yuki Bhambri and Divij Sharan lost their semi-final match against French pair of Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Gilles Simon.
The unseeded Indians went down 4-6 6-7 (2), against their French opponent. The Indian pair wasted as many as eight break points in the second set to crash out of the tournament.
Simon, who qualified for the men's singles final after beating top seed Marin Cilic in semi-final alongside Herbert will now face second-seeded Dutch pair of Matwe Middelkoop and Robin Haase, who earlier defeated Czech team of Jiri Vesley and Roma Jebavy 6-2 6-4 in the other semifinal.
It was not a great start for the Indian players as Sharan dropping serve in the second game. The French pair played well while they served resulting in them taking a 3-0 lead.
Bhambri was put under pressure by the French
pair when he was serving, but the Indian pair finally managed to win the game as Bhambri held his serve to make it 4-4. Sharan who struggled to hold serve time and again was broken in the 10th game as the Indians pair lost the set.
In the second set, the Indian pair put up a great fight in spite of French duo being the superior team among the two. Sharan and Bhambri managed to save a match point to take the match into the tie-breaker, however, their chance of making comeback faded as Simon and Herbert completely outplayed them to win the match .
