Vinod Sridhar wins maiden
ITF Futures title

Vinod Sridhar clinched his maiden Futures title after registering a memorable victory over Ajay Ramaswami in the final of the $10,000 ITF men's tennis tournament at the Delhi Lawn Tennis Association courts on Saturday.

Sridhar, the reigning national hardcourt champion, scored a smooth 6-2, 6-4 victory in what was his first appearance in a final of an ITF tournament.

The victory fetched him $1300 and 12 ATP points.

Ramaswami, also playing in his first ITF final, returned home with eight ATP points and $900.

Sridhar extended the good form that saw him beat some high-ranked players on the way to the final. He might have received a lot of help from his opponent, but his rhythm was fluent and had Ramaswami always under pressure.

"I served really well today, and that helped a lot," he said after the match.

Sridhar earned a break of serve as early as the third game in the first set and followed it up with another in the fifth game to establish a 4-1 lead before wrapping the set.

"He hurried a bit and made a lot of approaches to the net in the first set. He was trying to be aggressive and made mistakes," said Sridhar, reflecting on his opponent's play.

Ramaswami hardly looked the player one had seen in the earlier matches. He was stiff and restricted in his movement, and often missed out on the simplest of volleys.

"I think they washed the courts this morning and that made a lot of difference. The balls were also heavier and I struggled with my serves," said Ramaswami.

The Mumbaikar had five double-faults, four of them coming in the first set. That turned out to be a crucial factor, as Sridhar, once he gained a break, had to just hold his own thereafter.

The break in the second set came in the third game, with Sridhar coming up with a top-class backhand retrieve. From there on, the script followed predictable lines, and the tale was over in an hour and 18 minutes.

The third and final leg starts at Davangere in Karnataka on Monday.

Earlier reports
Sridhar, Ramaswami in final
Vinod Sridhar battles his way into semis
Ajay Ramaswami halts Ivanov's run
Four seeds bite the dust