Ramkumar Blooms in Spain

Ramkumar Blooms in Spain

CHENNAI: The SDAT Stadium in Nungambakkam was bustling with activities as the qualifiers of 2014 Chennai Open was underway. A sense of excitement prevailed over the local fans gathered on the side courts as a 19-year-old by the name of Ramkumar Ramanathan qualified for the main draw. The Chennai boy won many a fan when he went on to beat India’s ace player Somdev Devvarman in the opening round.

He eventually lost to Spaniard Marcel Granollers but that breakthrough proved crucial and he has never looked back since.

“Chennai Open actually gave me the exposure to compete with many good players,” he told TNIE, a day after bagging the singles and doubles ITF titles in Getxo, Spain, on Saturday.

In the singles final, the second seed upset top seed Marc Giner 6-4, 6-1. In doubles, partnering Spaniard David Perz Sanz, Ramkumar got the better of Portugal’s Joao Domingues and Spain’s Jose Anton Salazar Martin 5-7, 6-3, 10-4 in the summit clash.

“I did not see this coming. Every match was close. The level here is good. I was practising really hard and was trying to get stronger. My aim was to compete well and to show professionalism in every single season. And that’s what helped me win the tournament,” said Ramkumar from Gexto.

“It’s been good to play tournaments again in Spain. I will try to play some more Challengers to gain more experience.”

Of his singles match, he reflected, “It was a closely-fought first set. Marc started well. The first set gave me the momentum and I carried it well. I started the second set in a strong manner and could convert the breakpoints, which proved to be crucial.”

This was his second ITF singles title of the season after his victory in Turkey in April and the third doubles crown.

When asked about Vijay Amritraj’s Champions Tennis League, Ramkumar replied, “I read about it some days back. It’s great for all of us and it would be great to be part of it.” He also hoped to be picked for the Davis Cup tie against Serbia. “One of my main goals is to play for the Indian Davis Cup team. I would love to be in the squad.”

It’s been an eventful few months in Spain for the youngster. “I got to practice with a couple of Spanish players — Albert Ramos (World No 89) and Pere Riba (World No 93). It was good to meet them. They were so friendly and I had a couple of good sessions,” he added. When Ramkumar hogged the limelight in Chennai, he was ranked 526 in the world. Seven months since, he is 352, and will go further up the ladder when the rankings are released on Monday.

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