View Single Post
Old 05-17-2015, 03:37 AM   #15
Brian Swartz
Grizzled Veteran
 
Join Date: May 2006
Danke muy mucho. The clay season is now mostly in the books.

Anil Mehul played in his first 250 event in Bucharest. His first-round opponent was Chilean veteran Florentino Grasa, now 32 years old but he was once a Top 10 player. At this point in their respective careers, Mehul would be a modest favorite anywhere but clay. On this surface the odds were flipped. Grasa's serve is still a little better, the only significant skill advantadge he has, and that proved the difference. He converted half his break chances, while Mehul had a few more of them but only won 5 of 17 in a tough loss. The final score was 6-7(5), 7-5, 7-6(2), three tough, tight sets and only five total points separating the players.

After a week off, a final tuneup event at a large Challenger in Bordeaux was next. Unfortunately, Mehul ran into Grasa there as well in the quarterfinals after a couple of testy early-round wins against lower-ranking clay specialists. Again he pushed through to a deciding tiebreaker, but again he lost, 4-6, 7-5, 7-6(3).

Amrik Chittoor played only one event in the lead-up, a small Challenger event in Ostrava. He was pushed but won in a couple of straight-sets wins, then fell to American Radek Smitala(100th) in the quarters.

Girish Girsh continued his assault on the amateurs by cruising to the title in Bergamo, Italy. He never lost more than five games in a match or three in a set.


2038 French Open

All of that work led up to the year's second Slam tournament. Chittoor made his debut here as well. He had a pretty unkind draw, facing off with 14-seed Issac Malpica(ESP). It was over quickly: 6-2, 6-0, 6-1. Yuck. In doubles, the pair managed to reach the final round of qualifying before losing, a bit better than in Australia and the hardcourt masters but still not enough to get to the main draw.

Mehul, on the other hand, had good fortune in his first-round opponent. Last year he'd taken just three games off of Mick Elder, but this time it was aging local wild card Samuel Michon(257th). Mehul completely dominated the match, handing out a bagel and a pair of breadsticks for his first career win at Roland Garros. The next obstacle was far more substantial: 13-seed Evgeni Topoloski(RUS). Topoloski mainly had the advantage of a better serve and greater skill on clay. After a good fight, Mehul succumbed 6-4, 7-5, 6-4. He played well enough to take at least a set but eight double faults really hurt. The Russian was able to get just enough easy points on his serve to keep Anil at bay.

Three of the players will be in action in smaller events next week while the titans of the tour battle it out in the second week of the FO. Challenger events are in store for Mehul and Chittoor, while Girsh enters what will hopefully be his final amateur event -- but only if he wins again. A month from now Wimbledon will be upon us, and I'll report back in then. Mehul will continue to work on his clay game as there is a historic opportunity upcoming after that. In August, the summer Olympics beckon in Belgium. No Sri Lankan has ever attempted to qualify for the field of 64 there. Mehul will probably have to go through the qualifying draw to make it, but the chance to represent our nation in the Olympics is definitely worth it. Until then, getting every possible edge on the dirt is his top priority.
Brian Swartz is offline   Reply With Quote