New Delhi: Digvijay Pratap Singh halted the winning run of seasoned pro-Vishnu Vardhan in the men’s singles semifinals of the Fenesta Open tennis championships, to set up a title clash with Manish Sureshkumar, here on Saturday.
The 22-year-old Digvijay was in cruise control mode as he won 6-4, 6-4 against the experienced 35-year-old player.
Digvijay has an ATP Ranking of 681. Yet, breaking into the final at the Premier National Tennis Tournament was important for him. Competing against a player with tons of experience was not easy, but he showed good temperament and fine technique to seal the victory.
“My match against Vishnu Vardhan was good. I had lost easily against him a couple of months back. Today I showed my peak performance and am excited to get into the final. I am hoping for the best,” said Digvijay.
Digvijay’s final opponent Manish beat Chirag Duhan with a measure of comfort at 6-1, 6-4. In the first set, Manish was flowing, as he played with freedom. The second set was a bit more tight. Manish dug into experience and won the match.
“It was a really good match and he (Digvijay) is surely a tough opponent. I am glad that I won and really excited about the final. Hopefully, I can go all the way and win the tournament,” said Manish.
In the ladies’ semifinals, Vaidehi Chaudhari and Sai Samhitha Chamarthi had to play three-setters before winning. They will be ready for each other in Sunday’s final after having come through clinical wins this week.
Vaidehi had an up-and-down performance before quelling the challenge from Vaishnavi Adkar 2-6, 6-4, 6-0. There were few chances for Vaishnavi once Vaidehi settled down to a rhythm in the decider. The top seed showed control and won.
“Today’s match was really close. I knew that she is a junior player and good. So I was ready for the match. In the first set, I was unable to give my best. After the second set, I started to give my best performance and it feels great to win the semi-finals,” said Vaidehi.
In the second semifinal, Sai Samhitha Chamarthi outgunned Akanksha Nitture 7-5, 6-3. This was a tough match for Sai but she pulled it off well in straight sets.
“Today I was down 4-5 and 15-40 in the first set. I converted the set and took 7-5. She (Akansha) played really well in the first set. I played with more confidence in the second set and closed it at 6-3. Hopefully, I will do better tomorrow in the final. The Fenesta Open has been treating me really well and it is my favourite tournament,” said Sai Samhitha.
The boys’ under-18 final was between Aman Dahiya and Denim Yadav. Aman beat Daksh Prasad 6-2, 6-2 while Denim was tested. Denim finally won 7-5, 4-6, 6-0.
The girls’ under-18 final was between Suhitha Maruri and Madhurima Sawant. Suhitha showed clean hitting on either flank as she whacked Lakshmi Prabha 6-2, 6-0. In the second semi-final, Madhurima won 1-6, 6-2, 6-4 against Ruma Gaikaiwari.
–IANS