Asian Games tennis: Indian men advance, women out

Guangzhou, Nov 13 (IANS) The Indian men’s team advanced to the quarterfinals with a 3-0 drubbing of Qatar while the women were outclassed 0-3 by Indonesia in Asian Games tennis here Saturday.

The Indian men, seeded fourth, got a bye in the first round and hardly broke sweat to enter the last eight stage. They now play seventh seeded Thailand who beat Sri Lanka 3-0 in the second round.

Sanam Singh gave India a blazing start when he dispatched 16-year-old Jabor Mohammed Al Mutawa 6-1, 6-1 in 46 minutes.

Somdev Devvarman then took 38 minutes to make it 2-0 for India, thrashing Mousa Shanan Zayed 6-0, 6-1.

In the men’ doubles, Somdev and Sanam thrashed Mubarak Shannan Zayid and Abdulrahman Ali Al Hareth 6-0, 6-1 to complete the rout.

In contrast, Indian women were no match for Indonesia.

Playing the first rubber, Poojashree Venkatesha was a set and a break point up against Lavinia Tananta but lost 2-6, 7-5, 6-2.

After racing away with the first set in 35 minutes, the 20-year-old Indian was leading 3-1 in the second before dropping her serve immediately. She was then broken by Tananta in the 11th game and it was a set all.

In the decider, after exchanging early breaks, the Indonesian girl won the last three games to win the set and the match.

In the second rubber, the 33-year-old and a mother of a four-year-old girl, Nirupama Sanjeev, who returned to competitive tennis for last month’s Commonwealth Games, was sent packing 1-6, 1-6 by Ayu Kade Dwi Fani Damayanti in 56 minutes.

In the doubles, Nirupama partnering Rushmi Chakravarthi lost to Nany Rahayu Basuki Suharyadi and Jessy Priskila Rompies 3-6, 1-6.