Ramanathan bows out of Pune Challenger

The 25-year-old went down 6-7 (8), 2-6 in an hour and 36 minutes against the Australian to end the Indian challenge at the tournament.
Indian tennis star Ramkumar Ramanathan (File | PTI)
Indian tennis star Ramkumar Ramanathan (File | PTI)

PUNE: HAVING beaten Sumit Nagal in straight sets in the quarterfinals of the KPIT MSLTA Challenger in Pune on Friday, Ramkumar Ramanathan had raised hopes of making his fifth ATP Challenger final. On Saturday, his last-four match against James Duckworth began with much promise but ended in angry capitulation.
The 25-year-old went down 6-7 (8), 2-6 in an hour and 36 minutes against the Australian to end the Indian challenge at the tournament.

Given that the Chennai native, who has had a disappointing season on tour, was pitted against the more-experienced second seed, it was always going to up an uphill task. But Ramkumar looked up for a challenge in the beginning. He was the first one to get a break — in the very first game of the match — and was the first to a set point in the tie-break. The Indian though failed to step up in the big moments. Even when Duckworth threw him a lifeline by serving a double fault on set point at 8-7 in the tie-break, Ramkumar failed to grab it. He struck a backhand into the net and then watched forlornly as another Duckworth pass found the mark.

The opening set lasted an hour and six minutes. While Ramkumar used his big serve (fastest at 228kph) and slapping forehand to great effect, Duckworth’s composure at the net and his passing precision kept him in the match.

The weak link in the Indian’s game, at least on Saturday, was his approach. While Ramkumar has recently started backing his big serve by coming up to the net often, his hustle wasn’t  enough against Duckworth. The Australian, who has already won three Challenger titles this season, was quick to spot the gaps whenever Ramkumar came to the net. He was not only punching holes in the Indian’s tactic but also his confidence. The result: from 2-1 up on serve in the second set, Ramkumar lost 14 points in a row and ended up conceding an almost unassailable 2-5 advantage to his opponent.

Towards the end, the Indian’s game quickly faded.The match, in a way, summarized Ramkumar’s up and down season. Having made the final of the Newport ATP tour event last year, and reaching a career high of 111, the Indian failed to capitalize on it in 2019. He hasn’t made a single Challenger final this year and has dropped down to 190. “It is difficult, but the only way is to keep going,” he had said ahead of last meet in 2019. “It’s been tough, not to get through to the top-100 but I am confident I can.”

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The New Indian Express
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