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January
All in all, 2052 didn't get off to a great start for us. First up was a World Team Cup tie against 11th-ranked Ukraine. That went well enough, a 4-1 win and we almost swept them. Didn't drop a set in singles, but doubles went against us, 4-6, 6-2, 7-5, 6-7(4), 6-4. We were outplayed anyway despite the scoreline, but when you only save 3 of 12 BPs, bad things happen.
Ritwik Dudwadkar got his season started at the tier-1 Sao Paulo challenger. He's low enough in the rankings that he barely wasn't seeded, but he pulled off probably the most impressive win of his career in dismissing the top seed, Vinnie Cone(39th, USA), 6-2, 6-4. Cone beat him towards the end of last year, and Dudwadkar didn't just win this one; he demolished the American. A great sign ... a few more of those and I'd need to start pushing him up towards the Top 32!! Of course he then tripped all over himself in the follow-up semi, falling to the quite inferior countryman Shyam Senapathy, 7-6(5), 1-6, 7-6(4). Won the points battle 112-105 but despite that and the two-tiebreak scoreline he was the one who deserve to lose. Senapathy is the kind of player he should basically never lose to at this point, such is the gap between their skills. Real Jekkyl-and-Hyde performance this week, and Ritwik needs points. He didn't get any here, merely equaling last year's showing.
Anil Mehul easily won a small doubles event the next week, whilst Prakash Mooljee was stunned in the Sydney(250) quarters by Ujjaval, 7-6(3), 6-4. Should have won, but it also shouldn't have been close enough to give him a chance.
So twice in two weeks I have disappointing results at the hand of Sri Lankans I don't manage. That's just weird. Things are looking a little uneven heading into the Australian Open.
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