It’s Sunday night and 43 minutes past 9 pm… 3 spectators including one coach and one tournament director are still watching… they have moved from the stands to the doubles tramlines… And there’s one glorious basterd left standing…. And surprisingly it’s not a Ramchandani…
27 year old software professional Phillips Eapen came from Chembur to compete with South Mumbai’s best on their home turf and ended up creating history. Phillips became the first non-Ramchandani and the first unseeded player to win an AATP title and he did it in style… also becoming the first player to beat the top 3 seeds on the AATP tour. Camping at the net, Phillips brought back memories of what was once known as serve-n-volley tennis to upset Dr. Malpani 6-3 in the quarter finals, then avenged his round robin loss to Bharat 8-6 in the semis and saved his best for the last for a tightly fought 6-7, 6-2, 10-8 win over top-seeded Haresh
Playing his conservative game was good enough to get junior Ramchandani into his fourth final in a row on tour but for the second consecutive time he was unable to convert a one seat lead. Brother Bharat looked ominous early on including a comprehensive 6-2 win over Phillips in the round robin but paid the price for lack of fitness and late night boozing as he wilted under the heat of Phillips’ stinging net play, failing to keep his date for Brochandani Act IV.
There was plenty else to write home about – Ayaz Vasi returned from his marital break and managed to reach the semis losing to Haresh 3-8; Dr. Malpani put up another impressive show making the quarterfinals but was beaten by Philips after leading 3-1 in their match; Ashutosh avenged his loss to Nimesh in last time’s Challenger round with a close fought 7-5 win but was unable to match Ayaz slice for slice going down 1-6 in the quarters; Jonty Kandpal was his usual fiery best beating dark horse Rizwan Sumar in a tight round robin match but was unable to find the same form in his 2-6 loss to Haresh in the last eight. And Suvir Shah managed to come out of the shadows of his more successful school mates to beat tour debutante Naren Shukla 6-2 and then played sublime tennis against Dr. Malpani; coming from 0-4 down, the southpaw managed to level their set at 4-4 but was unable to deliver the knock put punch as Doc won 6-4. For the record, Suvir was beaten 2-6 by Bharat in their quarter-final.
First round losers included newcomer Naren who was beaten easily by Suvir and then by Doc in their Battle of the 40 year olds; Nimesh was beaten by Haresh once again and then by Ashutosh in a heartbreaker; another tour debutante Raja Padia was double-bageled by Philips and Bharat; but it was Rizwan Sumar who stole the headlines early on. From breaking his racket to complaining to organizers; and from abusing his opponent to having a one-on-one side chat with him, Rizwan stole the show on Day 1, albeit not with his play. Close losses to Jonty and Ayaz means he will have to wait for next year to win his first AATP title but that did not stop him from coming back to cheer for his comrades on Sunday and Monday; Sumar is still in line for the AATP Enthusiast of the Year award.
The organizing committee came under some flak too; from doctoring the seedings and rigging the draws to giving into player demands for match schedules and making Haresh play five different sessions (anything to get a new champion and make the tour more interesting we’re guessing); HareAsh left a lot to be desired. But I believe the drum rolls of complaint have reached their ears and they have promised to ensure Season II Part II will be better… Until then, from one glorious basterd to another… it’s Advantge Eapen.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
As it happened
Group Becker - BBB or Boom Boom Bharat / Raja / Philip.
"Boom Boom" Bharat lived up to his top billing by easily overcoming Raja (6-0) and Philip (6-2) to top the group while journeyman Philip himself bageled Raja 6-0 to ease into the QFs. Of the matches Philips versus Bharat promised a lot but delivered little with Philip repeatedly being passed at the net and unable to enforce any sort of authority on the match. Raja, recently turned pro debuting on the AATP circuit surprised Bharat with his loopy serve and unorthodox style but the No.2 seed eventually found his length and game.
Group Agassi - Rizwan / Jonty / Ayazo
This was labeled the group of Death - a prophetic name if ever there was one - more on this one later from my more gifted colleague 'El Harry Wertheimandani"
Rizwan & Jonty faced off in the 1st tie (re-enacting a fateful practice match played out on the same court a few days back between the 2 protagonists and one that would play a very important role in the result) and Jonty prevailed 6-3.
The next match featured Riz and Ayaz and the latter prevailed 6-4 effectively ending Riz's campaign to win the one title that eludes him. In the final tie to decide group placings, Ayaz easily outpaced Jonty 6-1, a result which showed that while Mr.Ayazo was at the top of his game on the court, he was pretty far away from it off the court given his ebullient predictions of a Jonty victory over him.
Group Steffi - El Haresh / Ashutosh / Nimesh
No.1 seed Haresh started off proceedings against Nimesh (barely having made it in time for the registration) and after a typically nervous start which saw the top seed matching underdog Nimesh error for error, he eventually woke up, looked over the net, sized up his opponent and proceeded to win 4 straight games to sew it up 6-2. Ashu next up for Nimesh and this was one close call as the match see'd and saw'd and then see'd before Ashu prevailed 7-5 nailing his first matchpoint when Nimesh drove a slice wide into the tramlines. That left Haresh and Ashu to play the final tie to decide who would top the group. This match was played the next evening (26/9) and Ashu initially gained the surprise upper hand running away to a 2-0 and 40-15 lead on his serve. Just when it looked like an upset was on the cards, Haresh again woke up, dug down and let Ashu make the errors while unleashing a couple of passing shots to win 6-3 in a match which was a lot closer and nailbiting than the scoreline suggested.
Group Federer - Doc / Narem / Suvir
Doc Malpani faced off Naren in the first tie and even as the commentators were reeling off the backgrounds of the opponents, one found Doc shaking Naren's hand at the net - 6-0 to the Doc. Naren apparently had a bit of trouble adjusting to the pace and bounce of these hard courts, so far removed from his home base at Anushakti Nagar. The next tie saw the first real upset when Suvir played out of his skin and expectations to fire out a below-par Naresh 6-1. Easy come - easy go. More to come still - Doc started off his match against Suvir in blazing fashion running into a 4-0 lead before deciding to make it interesting - Suvir tightened up his game, Doc loosened his and the result was 5 straight games for Suvir. Things were looking pretty tense at this stage but then Doc Malpani is not top Doc on the MSLTA courts for nothing -- overcoming Baby calls from Jonty Jr in the cafe Doc held his serve to save the match and then proceeded to reel off the next 2 games to win the tie 6-4.
Quarter Finals Line Up
Haresh v Jonty
Ayazo v Ashu
Doc v Philip
Bharat v Suvir
Haresh played a great game to overcome Jonty's spirited challenge 6-2.
On the other court Ayazo similarly played the waiting game to overcome Ashu 6-1.
Bharat blanked Suvir 6-2 and in the final QF Philip overcame Doc 6-3 to set up an interesting Semi Final lineup.
Semi Final 1 - BB Bharat v Philip
The revenge match and sweet revenge it was - Philip prevailed 8-6 over the defending champion in a closely fought match to enter the Finals on his 2nd try and end BB Bharat's run of 3 straight finals.
Semi Final 2 - Haresh v Ayazo
The top seed calmly dispatched Ayazo's challenge 8-3 to maintain an his sterling record on the AATP circuit (his only loss to date has been his stunning loss to No.2 seed and brother BB BHarat in the finals of the last championship)
Final - Sunday evening 8-10pm Haresh (1) v Philip.
This is the first final to not feature both the brothers Ramchandani. So what would it be - 3rd title for overwhelming favorite Haresh or culmination of a great run for Philip? Match on!!
The first set was a slow one with both players playing well within themselves in a game more reminiscent of a chess match than a tennis match - posturing to gain the upper hand. With the score in the 1st set standing at 6-6 (6-6) there was nothing to prise apart the winners save a couple of loose shots from Philip which handed Haresh the 1st set. Philips looked the better player in the set but Haresh in true No.1 style still found a way to hold on and bag the set.
Alas the next set saw a terrible start with Haresh going down 0-3 in the blink of an eye (in a set which also saw Philip abandon some of his defensive play in favor or a slightly more aggressive mindset). Philips new found game paid off handsomely as he won the set 6-2 to even the score and push the title match into the super-set tie break.
The final set (super tie-break ie first to 10 pts with a diff of 2) was a panoply of the shots and determination of both the players. Nary a quarter was given but in the end Philip by single minded focus & a tad more aggression (esp at the net where he continued to ply his trade despite several setbacks) prevailed 10-8 to lift his first major title at this level.
Final score Philip beat Haresh 6-7(6-8), 6-2, 10-8.
A dejected Haresh who had given his all had little left in the tank in the end and could not stay back for the post match conference. The new champion however decided to hit a few shots with the organizers and say a few words as well.
The presentation ceremony was graced by the the mysterious Uncle Toni Sharma who has now been sighted at every single AATP event - particularly in matches featuring the No.1 seed. Reliable sources tell us that he also happens to be the coach, mentor, hitting partner, masseur, cheering squad and strategist for Harry Ramchandani. Well luck to them - Harry was seen hitting the courts the very next day and he will need all the support to retain his No.1 ranking which is coming under increasing pressure by the new upstarts on the tour. In the meanwhile the champion Philip has decided to travel out of Mumbai to savour his sweet victory but promised to return to defend his title in the next edition slated somewhere in November/December of 2009.
Keep watching this blog - El Harry Wertheimandani will be putting down his perspective soon
"Boom Boom" Bharat lived up to his top billing by easily overcoming Raja (6-0) and Philip (6-2) to top the group while journeyman Philip himself bageled Raja 6-0 to ease into the QFs. Of the matches Philips versus Bharat promised a lot but delivered little with Philip repeatedly being passed at the net and unable to enforce any sort of authority on the match. Raja, recently turned pro debuting on the AATP circuit surprised Bharat with his loopy serve and unorthodox style but the No.2 seed eventually found his length and game.
Group Agassi - Rizwan / Jonty / Ayazo
This was labeled the group of Death - a prophetic name if ever there was one - more on this one later from my more gifted colleague 'El Harry Wertheimandani"
Rizwan & Jonty faced off in the 1st tie (re-enacting a fateful practice match played out on the same court a few days back between the 2 protagonists and one that would play a very important role in the result) and Jonty prevailed 6-3.
The next match featured Riz and Ayaz and the latter prevailed 6-4 effectively ending Riz's campaign to win the one title that eludes him. In the final tie to decide group placings, Ayaz easily outpaced Jonty 6-1, a result which showed that while Mr.Ayazo was at the top of his game on the court, he was pretty far away from it off the court given his ebullient predictions of a Jonty victory over him.
Group Steffi - El Haresh / Ashutosh / Nimesh
No.1 seed Haresh started off proceedings against Nimesh (barely having made it in time for the registration) and after a typically nervous start which saw the top seed matching underdog Nimesh error for error, he eventually woke up, looked over the net, sized up his opponent and proceeded to win 4 straight games to sew it up 6-2. Ashu next up for Nimesh and this was one close call as the match see'd and saw'd and then see'd before Ashu prevailed 7-5 nailing his first matchpoint when Nimesh drove a slice wide into the tramlines. That left Haresh and Ashu to play the final tie to decide who would top the group. This match was played the next evening (26/9) and Ashu initially gained the surprise upper hand running away to a 2-0 and 40-15 lead on his serve. Just when it looked like an upset was on the cards, Haresh again woke up, dug down and let Ashu make the errors while unleashing a couple of passing shots to win 6-3 in a match which was a lot closer and nailbiting than the scoreline suggested.
Group Federer - Doc / Narem / Suvir
Doc Malpani faced off Naren in the first tie and even as the commentators were reeling off the backgrounds of the opponents, one found Doc shaking Naren's hand at the net - 6-0 to the Doc. Naren apparently had a bit of trouble adjusting to the pace and bounce of these hard courts, so far removed from his home base at Anushakti Nagar. The next tie saw the first real upset when Suvir played out of his skin and expectations to fire out a below-par Naresh 6-1. Easy come - easy go. More to come still - Doc started off his match against Suvir in blazing fashion running into a 4-0 lead before deciding to make it interesting - Suvir tightened up his game, Doc loosened his and the result was 5 straight games for Suvir. Things were looking pretty tense at this stage but then Doc Malpani is not top Doc on the MSLTA courts for nothing -- overcoming Baby calls from Jonty Jr in the cafe Doc held his serve to save the match and then proceeded to reel off the next 2 games to win the tie 6-4.
Quarter Finals Line Up
Haresh v Jonty
Ayazo v Ashu
Doc v Philip
Bharat v Suvir
Haresh played a great game to overcome Jonty's spirited challenge 6-2.
On the other court Ayazo similarly played the waiting game to overcome Ashu 6-1.
Bharat blanked Suvir 6-2 and in the final QF Philip overcame Doc 6-3 to set up an interesting Semi Final lineup.
Semi Final 1 - BB Bharat v Philip
The revenge match and sweet revenge it was - Philip prevailed 8-6 over the defending champion in a closely fought match to enter the Finals on his 2nd try and end BB Bharat's run of 3 straight finals.
Semi Final 2 - Haresh v Ayazo
The top seed calmly dispatched Ayazo's challenge 8-3 to maintain an his sterling record on the AATP circuit (his only loss to date has been his stunning loss to No.2 seed and brother BB BHarat in the finals of the last championship)
Final - Sunday evening 8-10pm Haresh (1) v Philip.
This is the first final to not feature both the brothers Ramchandani. So what would it be - 3rd title for overwhelming favorite Haresh or culmination of a great run for Philip? Match on!!
The first set was a slow one with both players playing well within themselves in a game more reminiscent of a chess match than a tennis match - posturing to gain the upper hand. With the score in the 1st set standing at 6-6 (6-6) there was nothing to prise apart the winners save a couple of loose shots from Philip which handed Haresh the 1st set. Philips looked the better player in the set but Haresh in true No.1 style still found a way to hold on and bag the set.
Alas the next set saw a terrible start with Haresh going down 0-3 in the blink of an eye (in a set which also saw Philip abandon some of his defensive play in favor or a slightly more aggressive mindset). Philips new found game paid off handsomely as he won the set 6-2 to even the score and push the title match into the super-set tie break.
The final set (super tie-break ie first to 10 pts with a diff of 2) was a panoply of the shots and determination of both the players. Nary a quarter was given but in the end Philip by single minded focus & a tad more aggression (esp at the net where he continued to ply his trade despite several setbacks) prevailed 10-8 to lift his first major title at this level.
Final score Philip beat Haresh 6-7(6-8), 6-2, 10-8.
A dejected Haresh who had given his all had little left in the tank in the end and could not stay back for the post match conference. The new champion however decided to hit a few shots with the organizers and say a few words as well.
The presentation ceremony was graced by the the mysterious Uncle Toni Sharma who has now been sighted at every single AATP event - particularly in matches featuring the No.1 seed. Reliable sources tell us that he also happens to be the coach, mentor, hitting partner, masseur, cheering squad and strategist for Harry Ramchandani. Well luck to them - Harry was seen hitting the courts the very next day and he will need all the support to retain his No.1 ranking which is coming under increasing pressure by the new upstarts on the tour. In the meanwhile the champion Philip has decided to travel out of Mumbai to savour his sweet victory but promised to return to defend his title in the next edition slated somewhere in November/December of 2009.
Keep watching this blog - El Harry Wertheimandani will be putting down his perspective soon
Monday, September 14, 2009
The Class of 2009-2010
It’s been 5 long months post the last AATP event and plenty has transpired since then in the tennis world. Rafael Nadal lost in
Closer home, just as much has ensued with our own AATP pros. Here’s a quick rundown of what they have been doing since April (we couldn’t help but give our thoughts on what they should have been doing instead)
Anil Goel
What he has been doing – Publishing his first novel Release 2.0 , an economic espionage thriller; currently on display at Oxford Bookstore in Churchgate
What he should have been doing - Reading “What to expect when you’re expecting” (I can confirm that the stork will be visiting the Goel household come Australian Open time) and writing for the AATP blog (S.O.S. to Anil – I could do with some help here!!)
Ashutosh Goel
What he has been doing – Beating hoodlums at Oval Maidan while jogging resulting in a three inch gash on his left forearm; and snoring away to glory as I sit here and update this blog - literally
What he should have been doing - Meeting sponsors to launch AATP’s first corporate tennis tournament edition (Ashu - Miles to go before we sleep)
Ayaz Vasi
What he has been doing – Piling on the air miles, gained thanks to wedding in Mumbai and honeymoon across the US
What he should have been doing - Piling down the pounds; gained thanks to wedding in Mumbai and honeymoon across the US
Bharat Ramchandani
What he has been doing – Adding tapes of old Becker matches to his DVD collection; get ready for an updated version (read imitation) of Boom Boom Boris in AATP Season II
What he should have been doing - Adding stamina and patience to his explosive game… “I Say”
Dr. Aniruddha Malpani
What he has been doing – Celebrating daughter’s full scholarship to study at
What he should have been doing - Donating the money he had earmarked for her education to the AATP tour
Haresh Ramchandani
What he has been doing – Signing up for a new role in office, a dance performance at a friend’s wedding in October and the half marathon in January
What he should have been doing - Signing up for a new diet; Haresh adds a whole new meaning to the phrase “heavyweight” champion
Kailash (Jonty) Kandpal
What he has been doing – Moving residences to Borivali and coaching first-born Rohan away from the spotlight of MSLTA (Confidential documents seen by this blogger explore the possibility of an AATP junior circuit in 2015 – Rohan is expected to be top seed)
What he should have been doing - Getting enough rest for his double duty come tournament time; wife Swati is due to have their second baby the same weekend (On a related note, kudos to Jonty for landing AATP’s “Hum Do Humare Do” campaign)
Nimesh Vora & Suvir Shah
What he has been doing – Exercising their vocal cords while engaging in screaming duels on court. Much has been written and even more has been heard of their on-court showdowns at MSLTA
What he should have been doing - Exercising their racket skills while engaging in tennis duels on court; and living up to their school motto True Be The Scholar
Phillips Eapen & Pranav Bhatti
What he has been doing – Hiding away from the spotlight – AATP’s own media-shy personalities. Although, our new stand-by agents Quick Gun Murugun and Mango Dolly have confirmed that one of them did get married on July 13th in a Kerela church to an HR professional. Congratulations are in order here too
What he should have been doing - Sign me up as their PR agent (I can assure you both top billing in my next blog at the minimum and a supporting role in AATP’s upcoming reality show “I’m NOT a celebrity – Get Me Outta Here”)
Riawan Sumar
What he has been doing – Losing his heart and bachelor status to Sunita Khatri (more on her and all the ladies in our next edition)
What he should have been doing - Using frequent flyer miles to make recurrent tennis trips to Mumbai (Rizwan cited the Fifth Amendment when asked to comment on reports of his infusing oil money to ensure an AATP event to coincide his annual trip back home)
Siddharth Singh Rathore
What he has been doing – Hitting the gym in Mumbai, hitting the hot night spots in Daman, hitting on women in Mumbai & Daman; and hitting the jackpot with his tennis predictions
What he should have been doing - Doing extra rehab for his corned out feet and injured wrists. We hope rumors of Badshah’s absence from 26/09 are just that; his flamboyance on and off the court will be severely missed if he is unable to participate
There you have it, ladies and gentlemen, the class of 2009-2010… We’ll be back next week with some never before seen or heard behind the scenes footage as the run-up to 26/09 continues….
Friday, April 24, 2009
The Man Who Went Up A Hill But Came Down A Champion
Saturday 18th April – 12 pm
Less than 24 hours to go before the first serve is hit and co-organizers Haresh and Ashutosh (to be referred to as HareAsh going forward – pronunciation Hare-Ash) have their task cut out. They’re still one player short to complete the field. Frantic calls and SMS’es follow. Haresh takes some time off organizing duties to knock with school mates Nimesh Vora and Suvir Shah. While Suvir battles the heat, Haresh is feeling the pressure of maintaining his unbeaten record on the tour. His press conference gives us an insight into his frame of mind - "I've created a monster, so I know I always need to win every tournament. Winning every tournament means that when I just lose a few games people say I'm playing bad. It's my own mistake, I guess. It's not easy coming out every time trying to win. You'll always run into fellow top players or other guys on a streak who surprise you. That's the difficulty about tennis.”
Saturday 18th April – 7 pm
The elusive 12th man is discovered. Nimesh recruits colleague Prashanth Suresh into the fold. Prashanth, who’s made a habit of running marathons around the world, might be an unfamiliar name to the AATP folks but certainly not an unfamiliar face. A frequent visitor to the MSLTA courts until he shifted to Bandra, Prashanth’s playing demeanor and sleeveless tee had already earned him comparisons to the Belarussian beast Max Mirnyi inside the AATP coterie. Ashutosh also warms up with a final practice session against Siddharth Singh Rathore. AATP’s enfant terrible, Rathore had to withdraw from Edition 3.0 after losing his sponsorship deal with Fair-N-Handsome. Also seen practicing under the lights is Sachin Gupta, CEO of Inventurus; the global recession affording this head-honcho some leisure time to wield his racket skills.
Sunday 19th April – 7 am
The defending champion is the first to reach the courts for his routine pre-tournament knock with hitting partner Siddharth Sharma. Inspired by Richard Williams’ decision to let his daughters Venus and Serena bypass the junior circuit and go straight to the pros, Sharma has decided to bypass the AATP tour and go straight to the veterans’ tour. (Official AATP astrologer Bejan Daruwalla tells us that Sharma will make his debut at the AATP Seniors Event in July 2034).
Sunday 19th April – 8:30 am
The action shifts to the players lounge. Pranav ‘Scud’ Bhatti, Phillips Eapen and Suvir Shah are among the first to arrive; a few hours later, Suvir would be the first to depart. Ashutosh struts in ten minutes late but is forgiven by all when he announces the prize money. The winner of the Champions League gets INP 75000 while the Champions League runners-up and Challenger League winner get INP 37500 each.
The 12 man field is split into 4 groups of 3 players each. The winners of each group go into the semi-finals of the Champions League; the runners-up of each group go into the Challenger League; third-placed finishers in each group go home to watch the Indian Premier League. The tournaments’ top 4 seeds – the Ramchandani brothers, Dr. Malpani and Bhatti head the groups. Watched by the curious eyes of support staff Mangesh, Vishal and Pratik, the draws are picked by MSLTA curator Ajit Sawant (recently voted the non-player most likely to be inducted into the AATP Hall of Fame). Haresh draws Jonty Kandpal and Azeem Ebrahim in his section; Bharat draws Nimesh and Sachin while Dr. Malpani draws Ashutosh & Suvir. What are the chances that the only 3 smokers in the field get dragged into the same group – Pranav, Phillips and Prashanth are drawn into Group D, the Group of Death.
Sunday 19th April – 9 am
The round robin matches kick off simultaneously on courts 2 to 5 even as some of the players are yet to arrive. Haresh begins proceedings on court 5 against Azeem. It’s a homecoming of sorts for the U.S.-returned Azeem, who took his first coaching lessons at the age of 10 on the very same courts. Ebrahim shows flashes of his loopy forehand and wicked backhand slice but is far too inconsistent as he goes down 0-6 to the top seed. On Court 4, Dr. Malpani gets down to business with a clinical 6-2 win over Suvir while Bharat easily beats Nimesh 6-2 on court 2. The Group of Death kicks off on court 3 with Pranav vs. Phillips, a 26 year old techie who was invited to play this weekend after impressing talent-scouters at the Hikal Cup and whose top-spin backhand is a treat to watch. Phillips takes pole position with a 6-3 win.
Sunday 19th April – 9:30 am
Still struggling with thoughts of retirement from the sport, Nimesh pulls off a surprising 6-3 win over Sachin winning the last 6 games to notch his first win on the tour. School mate Suvir isn’t as lucky – going down 2-6 to Ashutosh. This diamond merchant still needs some polishing. On court 5, Jonty Kandpal is giving Haresh all that he can handle. The pint-sized stock star breaks to lead 3-2. His vocal cords seem to be getting as much exercise as his legs. A few words from Sharma and one bathroom break later, Haresh wins four games in a row to triumph 6-3.
The most intriguing match of the round robin is being played out on Court 3 as Prashanth takes on Phillips. Battling to stay alive in the tournament, Prashanth digs deep and wins a close fought tiebreak 7-5. The competition is friendly yet intense. Immediately after match point, Phillips throws his racket into the net; missing his opponent by a whisker. A little later, the two go out for a smoke together.
Sunday 19th April – 10:15 am
It’s down to the business end of things as the battle for semi-final berths heat up. With Haresh having already qualified from his group, Jonty & Azeem battle it out for the Challenger League spot. Jonty rides out a comfortable 6-2 win. On Court 4, Dr. Malpani and Ashutosh face off in a winner-tops-group contest. The Doctor’s spermtastic forehand leaves Ashutosh feeling impotent as he crumbles to a 1-6 defeat. (While his tennis career has yet to take off, Ashu need not fret; Daruwala tips him as the odds-on favorite to be the next CEO of Baskin Robbins, India). On Court 2, two-times finalist Bharat sets up a semi-final rematch against the Doctor after his 6-0 win over Sachin leaves him atop Group B. Nimesh joins Ashutosh & Jonty in the Challenger League.
Bhatti redeems himself as he races to a 5-0 lead against Prashanth before easing up – something that will come back to haunt him a few minutes later. Bhatti eventually wins 6-2; with all 3 players scoring one win each, the standings are determined by the percentage of games won. Out comes the calculator; In go Phillips and Pranav into the Champions and Challenger League semi-finals respectively. Prashanth begins his marathon journey back to Bandra. For the statistically curious, Phillips ends up with 0.54 percent of games won, Pranav with 0.52 and Prashanth with 0.47.
Sunday 19th April – 11:00 am
The heat & humidity are taking a toll on the players. Bharat’s shoe soles come unglued but nothing that a quick run to the nearby cobbler can’t fix. For back up, Haresh runs home to fetch him a spare pair of shoes as well. (Bhai Ho to Asia!!) Pranav heads to the players lounge to ice his knee and ponders whether to continue or let Prashanth take his place. His plea to the organizers to change the format to a quarter-final knockout draw is shot down.
In the Challenger League semi-finals, Nimesh uses his slice-n-dice game to good effect and surprises Ashutosh 9-6. In the other semi-final, Jonty takes on Pranav in another David vs. Goliath battle. The gods seem to be smiling on Jonty whose match is played amidst falling flowers on his side of court 2. Could this be the sign of an impending coronation? Pranav’s boombastic groundstrokes boomerang right back to him thanks to Jonty’s sexy-back skills. Down 4-7 and still bothered by his knee, Pranav calls it quits to send Jonty into the Challenger final against Nimesh.
In the Champions League semi-final, Bharat faces the Doctor for the second consecutive event. The Doctor begins strong & establishes a 7-4 lead. Not best known for his ability grind out a victory, Bharat begins an uphill climb and embarks on a 5-game winning streak to run out a 9-7 winner. On the adjacent court, Phillips breaks early against Haresh on two occasions but is broken right back each time. Both players struggle under the blazing sun. From 4-4, Haresh surges ahead and wraps up a 9-5 victory that is much harder than the scoreline suggests. The players retire to the lounge for now. The brothers will be back in a few hours to battle it out for the trophy again. The opposition is left to wonder when their turn will come.
Sunday 19th April – 1 pm
The cameras are closely following the brothers as allegations of Father Ramchandani influencing the result of the finals resurface. Bharat heads home to shower and spend time with his wife, who made a fleeting appearance on the courts earlier in the day. Unaware of the paparazzi following him, Haresh heads to Churchgate. The pressure of his monstrous creation seem to take a heavy toll as just hours before the final showdown, he is snapped gorging on Wada Pav. This is not the first time that Haresh’s unusual eating habits have caught the attention of the tennis community. Earlier this year, he was spotted munching Bhujia Sev in between his matches at the Hikal Cup and last year, he was caught eating boiled eggs on court in between serves. Haresh then heads home for a customary Sunday afternoon lunch with the whole family; Bharat included. Father Ramchandani gives grace and prays for his first-born to win his first title.
Sunday 19th April – 4pm
The official car of the tournament (Ashutosh’s Chevrolet Aveo) picks up the finalists from their residence and heads to the courts. The final is scheduled under the shade of court 1. The brothers begin their warm up. They’ve gone from fighting over chocolates and TV remote controls to battling over championship titles and prize money. Haresh starts strong and seems in control of the first set, winning it 6-3. Bharat hopes for some respite but gets none as Haresh breaks early in the second set and moves ahead 5-3. The tennis is average; the conditions sub-par. One would expect Bharat to fold easily in this situation. At 5-4, Haresh holds match points on three separate occasions but each time fails to serve it out. Bharat breaks back for 5-5 and gets a new lease of life. Another hold and break later, its one set all.
On court 2, Nimesh is unable to find an answer to Jonty’s consistency. Jonty wins 9-5 and is crowned the Challenger Champion. The two settle court side as the brothers get set for the super tie-break. This is the second time that one of their finals has gone the distance. It’s the first time that Bharat jumps ahead though. Mixing big shots with good defense, Bharat gets two mini-breaks and never looks back. At 9-5 in the tie break, he stands on the brink of realizing his father’s dream. One point later, he is the Champion. Haresh can hardly believe his inability to close the match after 3 match points. Bharat can hardly believe his ability to dig himself out 2 matches in a row. THE KING IS DEAD. LONG LIVE THE KING.
Monday 20th April – 9 pm
The dust may have settled; the enthusiasm certainly has not. You would think with the success of Edition 3.0, HareAsh would take a well-deserved break. Instead, they’re back in the MSLTA canteen – plotting Edition 4.0. The last weekend of May is the date. The field will expand to 16 players (I am told Roger Federer will be offered a wild card in case he chooses not to make the futile trip to Paris); the timing will be post-sunset. Lights out for now guys… HareAsh have left the building.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Parting Shots - Haresh "Wertheim" Ramchandani
While tennis’ also-rans gather in
- For the second consecutive time, the Ramchandani brothers went undefeated to reach the final. And for the second consecutive time, Haresh beat Bharat to keep his perfect record on the tour intact. Haresh termed his 6-2, 6-4 win as his best performance of the weekend while Bharat was left ruing his missed chances after failing to consolidate a break of service on two occasions in the second set. Hard to believe that such talent could have been raised right in the midst of raging gun battles at Nariman House
- Father Ramchandani’s directive to younger son to ‘let Bharat win this time to even scores’ fell on deaf ears. Haresh retained his title and family bragging rights. Bharat retains sole ownership of the family estate
- Famous fertility specialist Dr. Anirudh Malpani reached the semi-finals with some impressive play but found the Ramchandani brothers too hot to handle. After scoring wins over Nimesh and Ashutosh, he lost a close set to Haresh 4-6 in the round robin league and then lost to Bharat 6-9 in a hard fought semi-final. In his post match press conference, Dr. Malpani vowed to get even with the brothers (on the tennis court or in the ‘swimming’ pool)
- Pranav ‘Bhatti’ Bhatija also reached the semis and also found the Ramchandani brothers too hot to handle. Nicknamed ‘Scud’ for his striking physical resemblance to the strapping Australian as well as his similar ball-striking and knee-injuring ability, Bhatti beat Suvir and Siddharth by identical 6-4 score lines; In his final round robin match, Pranav blew hot to build a 3-0 lead and then blew cold as Bharat clawed his way back to lead 4-3. Having already qualified for the semis, Bhatti chose to forfeit the match in order to rest up for his semi final (obviously not taking any inspiration from Andy Murray’s performance in
- Tour debutantes Suvir Shah and Nimesh Vora finished with 1-2 and 0-3 records respectively in the round robin league. Diamond kingpin Suvir gave a good account of himself losing close sets to Bharat and Bhatti before beating Siddharth in the only bagel of this event. On the other hand, Nimesh realized that buying a new racket and new shoes does not make up for lack of match-fitness. Although he lost all his 3 matches in close sets, his dream grudge match against childhood rival Haresh was part of the weekend nightmare he would like to forget. Immediately after, he announced his retirement from the sport but our sources tell us he will be back on the courts in no time
- Tour veterans Ashutosh Goel and Siddharth Singh Rathore also finished with 1-2 and 0-3 records respectively in the round robin league. Ashutosh lost his first two matches to Dr. Malpani and Haresh before beating Nimesh 6-3. Siddharth started slowly in a 1-6 loss to Bharat, and then some sublime tennis to lead 4-2 against Bhatti before bowing out 4-6. In his final match, he was beaten 0-6 by Suvir. Organizers heaved a HUGE sigh of relief as there was no repeat of last time’s WALK-OVER GATE
- The pre-tournament buzz mainly surrounded the size of the draw and the seeding system. As usual, Ashutosh stepped up to the front and executed both to perfection
- The long Republic Day weekend scheduling, thought to be a stroke of genius by co-organizers Ashutosh & Haresh, turned out to be anything but; several interested participants were out of town including Jonty Kandpal who chose to spend some quality time with the missus and junior in Panvel (I can confirm all reports that he was in Hyderabad to meet Mr Ramalinga Raju to be entirely baseless). Other absentees from last time included Rizwan Sumar, who chose not to travel to Mumbai given the current recessionary environment and Anil Goel, out with an injured knee
- Marriage has been blamed as the reason for many an athlete losing their focus and attention. The centuries-old institution claimed its latest victim in Ayaz Vasi who traveled to
- One of the more touching moments of the weekend was Siddharth boosting the morale of brother-in-retirement Nimesh after the round robin matches
- In an effort to become more player-friendly, the organizers arranged for ball boys and Red Bull girls. Next on the players wish list are a speed gun and Hawk Eye
- No-intimation no-show Mr Sunit is the subject of this edition’s X-File. Early reports from our favorite agents Moulder & Scully indicate that Sunit may have been the figment of the fertile imagination of Ashutosh, who is the only person who has claimed to have been contacted by this unidentified foreign object (S.O.S. to Bijal who still has a few weeks to star in 2009’s Runaway Bride)
- Interested participants for the next edition in March include a certain gym dog millionaire and a former hitting partner of Leander Paes
- And let’s end this recap with a shout out to the guys in
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
After a lot of slips the cup finally gets to the lip
Oneworld of Sports (aka Haresh & Ashutosh) had organized the 1st edition of the Black Rock Tour of Wannabe Champions in Oct 2008 under the august auspices of the AATP.
The response was stunning with accolades flowing in from across the world for this brilliantly organized day/night tennis tournament which saw participation from of amateur tennis professionals from across the world
ok ok the world is not dubai but it will do for a start
since the end of the 1st edition demand had been pouring in from all quarters to do a 2nd edition soon. The organizers got together and after several false starts organized the much awaited 2nd edition on the hallowed turf of MSLTA on 25th Jan and 26th Jan 2009. Sadly a lot of the orginal participants had to stay away due to the usual roster of reasons - injury, love, work .........
Anyways let me cut to the chase and put up the score updates. The tournament again featured 8 of the world's "best" amateur pros who divided themselves into the Agassi and Graf groups as instructed and played a RR league to reach the Semis and Finals and so on and so forth.
Graf Group
Haresh Ramchandani (1)
Ashutosh Goel
Nimesh Vora
Dr.Anirudh Malpani
Agassi Group
Bharat Ramchandani (2)
Siddarth Singh Rathore
Suvir Shah
Pranav Bhatija
Scores read as follows
Agassi Group
Pranav bt Suvir 6-4
Bharat bt Sid 6-1
Bharat bt Suvir 6-3
Pranav bt Sid 6-4
Suv bt Sid 6-0
Bharat bt Pranav 4-3 (pranav withdrew)
Graf Group
Haresh bt Ashu 6-2
Dr.Malpani bt Nimesh 6-2
Haresh bt Nimesh 6-4
Dr.Malpani bt Ashu 6-3
Ashu bt Nimesh 6-3
Haresh bt Dr.Malpani 6-4
Semi Finals
Haresh bt Pranav 9-4
Bharat bt Dr.Malpani 9-6
Finals
Haresh bt Bharat 6-2, 6-4
Please see pics in the next post
The response was stunning with accolades flowing in from across the world for this brilliantly organized day/night tennis tournament which saw participation from of amateur tennis professionals from across the world
ok ok the world is not dubai but it will do for a start
since the end of the 1st edition demand had been pouring in from all quarters to do a 2nd edition soon. The organizers got together and after several false starts organized the much awaited 2nd edition on the hallowed turf of MSLTA on 25th Jan and 26th Jan 2009. Sadly a lot of the orginal participants had to stay away due to the usual roster of reasons - injury, love, work .........
Anyways let me cut to the chase and put up the score updates. The tournament again featured 8 of the world's "best" amateur pros who divided themselves into the Agassi and Graf groups as instructed and played a RR league to reach the Semis and Finals and so on and so forth.
Graf Group
Haresh Ramchandani (1)
Ashutosh Goel
Nimesh Vora
Dr.Anirudh Malpani
Agassi Group
Bharat Ramchandani (2)
Siddarth Singh Rathore
Suvir Shah
Pranav Bhatija
Scores read as follows
Agassi Group
Pranav bt Suvir 6-4
Bharat bt Sid 6-1
Bharat bt Suvir 6-3
Pranav bt Sid 6-4
Suv bt Sid 6-0
Bharat bt Pranav 4-3 (pranav withdrew)
Graf Group
Haresh bt Ashu 6-2
Dr.Malpani bt Nimesh 6-2
Haresh bt Nimesh 6-4
Dr.Malpani bt Ashu 6-3
Ashu bt Nimesh 6-3
Haresh bt Dr.Malpani 6-4
Semi Finals
Haresh bt Pranav 9-4
Bharat bt Dr.Malpani 9-6
Finals
Haresh bt Bharat 6-2, 6-4
Please see pics in the next post
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
