|
So I was about two sentences from having this up yesterday, then accidentally erased everything as I am prone to do from time to time, rage-quit and did other things. It's about a week behind now in game time, but here it is.
April
Prakash Mooljee had a pretty easy win at the Alicante Tier-2 in singles, but lost his first match in doubles. That got him back into the Top 20 for the moment, and he took the next three weeks off to train for the Italian Open.
Then, it was time for Monte Carlo. Girish Girsh was seeded 12th, and started off with a win over qualifier Arnaldo Barranco. It was a pretty easy win despite a fairly close scoreline. He then met Italian Mugur Kinczllers(27th). The former junior world no. 1 figured to be more than a match for him on clay, but Girsh battled his way to a tough, deserved 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 victory! It was by far the best win he's had in nearly a year, and a great sign. Bahana was up next in the third round and predictably flattened Girsh on his favored surface, but that didn't dampen a strong week.
After taking a week off to practice, he headed to the Estoril Open(250) as the 2nd seed. John Condon was the big favorite. Girsh handled Barranco again, this time much more one-sided, and then met veteran Swede Vito Bonamoni who figured to be another stern test. Bonamoni is a clay specialist and not a half-bad one, but Girsh got through him 6-4, 6-4. In the semifinals though, he was stopped a step short of meeting Condon for the title by Italian Tobia Alberti. Alberti is not the player Bonamoni is, but was a bit more consistent in a 6-4, 1-6, 6-2 minor upset.
Ups and downs for Sri Lanka's #2 here, but that's much better than the mostly downs that were seen for the last several months. Looks like he's trying and at least partly succeeding in breaking out of his run of poor play.
Coming Up ...
Nearing the end of the Madrid Masters, with Rome to follow it, and the Italian Open in juniors is also ongoing as the clay season heats up now.
|