Five Indians enter last eight
CHANDIGARH, APRIL 2,Indian players held the spotlight in the second round of the $10,000 India F5 Futures ITF Men’s Circuit being played at the Chandigarh Lawn Tennis Association Stadium in Sector 10 here today. Top seed Rohan Bopanna, Vivek Shokeen, teenager Yuki Bhambri, Harsh Mankad and Divij Sharan advanced to the quarter-finals to gladen the hearts of the spectators.Australian Open Junior semi-finalist wild card 16-year-old Yuki Bhambri, wild card Harsh Mankad and Vivek Shokeen pulled off upset verdicts over seeded players to qualify for quarter-finals. Moving from strength to strength, Yuki Bhambri recorded a stunning victory over second seeded Peng Sun of China. Unmoved with Sun’s seeding, Yuki Bhambri played his natural game and eclipsed Sun in just 64 minutes at the Centre Court. With game moving with the serve, Yuki got the vital break in the ninth game to gain a 5-4 gain and then held his serve to clinch the first set at 6-4.
In the second set, Yuki maintained his pressure and led 3-1 with a break in the third game. Breaking Sun in the seventh game, Yuki established a commanding lead of 5-2 and held his serve in the eighth game to win the set at 6-2.
After losing the first set, wild card Harsh Mankad rose to dizzy heights as he staged a smart rally to prevail over seventh seed Kento Takeuchi of Japan in thre sets which lasted two hours and 24 minutes.
Vivek Shokeen was yet another Indian to give an impressive show. Pitted against fifth seed Yu Jr Wang of China, Shokeen rallied to win in thee well-contested sets 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 in two hours and 22 minutes.
Davis Cupper Rohan Bopanna, playing serve-and-volley game, took just 53 minutes as the top seed fired 11 aces to down Peraklat Siriluethaiwattana of Thailand in straight sets 6-3, 6-3. The Thailand struggled with his serve as he committed five double faults. Big server Rohan committed two double faults.
In an all-India second round affair, Divij Sharan ended the winning run of qualifier Virali-Murugesan with a straight set 6-3, 6-3 victory in one hour and 19 minutes.
Russian Dania Arsenov led 4-0 in the first set and deuce in the fifth game, Gurgaon champion Nathan Thompson retired to pave the way for Danila to move into quarter-final. Roman Jebavy of Czech Republic and third seed Hyun-Woo Nam of Korea were the other two foreign players to move into quarter-final. Third seed Nam walked over lucky loser Ye Du of China. Ye Du gave walkover on medical ground.
The quarter-final line-up is: Rohan Bopanna (India) vs Danila Arsenov (Rus); Divij Sharan vs Roman Jebavy (Cze); Vivek Shokeen (India) vs Hyun-Wood Nam (Korea) and Harsh Mankad vs Yuki Bhambri (India).
Results (2nd round): 1-Rohan Bopanna (Ind) bt Q-P Siriluethaiwattana (Tha) 6-3, 6-3; Danila Arsenov (Rus) bt 6- Nathan Thompson 4-0, deuce conceded; Divij Sharan (Ind) bt Q-Virali-Murugesan (Ind) 6-3, 6-3; Roman Jebavy (Cze) bt Kumantsov Andrey (Rus) 4-6, 7-5, 6-4; Vivek Shokeen (Ind) bt 5-Yu Jr Wang (China) 3-6, 6-4, 6-4; 3-Hyun-Woo Nam (Kor) w/o LL-Ye Du (China) on medical ground; WC-Harsh Mankad (Ind) bt 7-Kento Takeuchi (Jpn) 4-6, 6-0, 6-1; WC-Yuki Bhambri (Ind) bt 2-Peng Sun (China) 6-4, 6-2.
Doubles (q-finals): 1-Vivek Shooken and Autosh Singh (Ind) bt Ilya Beltaev and Sergei Krotiouk (Rus) 6-0, 6-1; 3-Rohan Gajjar and Purav Raja (Ind) bt John McGahon (Irl) and Ciaran Moore (RSA( 6-4, 7-6 (2); Harsh Mankad and Rupesh Roy (India) w/o Roman Jebavy (Cze) and Nathan Thompson (USA); Yuki Bhambri and Kamala Kannan (Ind) bt Christoph Lessiak and Mario Tupy (Aut) 6-2, 6-4.