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UNICEF Open(Netherlands, 250)
Prakash Mooljee was the fourth seed here for his second 250-level tournament in a month. Grass is one of his weakest surfaces, so really any points he picked up here would be a bonus. I wasn't going to be too disappointed as long as he at least got a few matches in and made the quarterfinals. As it ended up, he got to the semis easily where he faced Mugur Kinczllers. The 7th-ranked Italian was the top seed, and Mooljee had edged him a big upset, probably his biggest career victory a few months back at Indian Wells. He did well to nearly do it again, falling 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 despite the fact the Kinczllers has a significantly better serve. Another sign that Mooljee can hang with all but the very best, and a semifinal appearance here is a solid result, and serves the purpose of sharpening his game ahead of Wimbledon. A loss in the first qualifying round for doubles is par for the course.
Elsewhere ...
Ritwik Dudwadkar suffered a first-round doubles exit the same week at tier-4 Nonthaburi. Seeded second, he crushed all comers en route to the final(including Suksma, who took only three games from him in the semi). The top seed was a very recognizable foe, Florentino Suarez, who has beaten him before. Not this time -- Dudwakar won 6-3, 6-4, taking his second tier-4 title.
Coming Up ...
Dudwadkar is off while the other three head to Wimbledon. Aside from Mehul's quest for history, the most interesting aspect are the scenarios for the #1 ranking. Anil will retain it if he's able to defend his title again. Girsh can take the top spot for the first time by just making it a round further than Mehul, while Iglar would need to win the title and get some help in order to ascend back to the top spot. Any of the trio is very capable of winning, and it's unlikely that anyone else can get past them. The results here will shape how the Race looks afterwards, and set the stage for the second half of the season with the Olympics coming up a month later. It should be a fascinating tournament ...
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