Rastogi to clash with Stoeckler

By Our Special Correspondent

MUMBAI, SEPT. 28. Rohan Gajjar's strokeplay came to nought against tireless Karan Rastogi, the latter clinching a place in his second back-to-back boys' singles final with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 victory at the International Tennis Federation's junior circuit on Friday.

The two Indians had clashed in the Chennai leg title clash last week where Rastogi's patience and staying powers had proved decisive. His opponent will be unseeded Dominic Stoeckler from Switzerland.

Isha in line for second title

Isha Lakhani too followed Rastogi's example by remaining in contention for her second girls' ITF title, outlasting Diana Julianto of Indonesia 6-0, 4-6, 7-5 in a semifinal match lasting two hours and 15 minutes, played in searing afternoon heat.

The Indian had her way, but it remains to be seen whether she can recover in time for Saturday's final against Great Britain's Rebecca Dandeniya, who ended unseeded Kartiki Bhat's run in the other girls' semifinals.

The Indonesian pair of Daldom Anuwat and N. Pongkansub clinched the boys' doubles title, defeating the Indian pair of Vikrant Sane and Arun Prakash 7-6 (7-3), 6-3. The winning pair gained 30 ITF points each, while the losing pair added 20 points each. The girls' doubles title went to the combination of Sanaa Bhambri/Pichaya Laosirichon (Thailand), winning 2-6, 6-2, 6-2 against Preeti Rao/Nandita Chandrasekhar.

The boys' semifinal played out at the Dr.G.A.Ranade courts was almost a repeat of the Chennai leg final, though stretching to three sets. Second seed Gajjar, the highest seed left in the fray, called the shots for a major part of the first set, only to fritter away big points through unforced errors. Fourth seed Rastogi cashed in on two service breaks to start off on a positive note.

Gajjar is a gifted player, possessing a far better range of weapons than his smaller rival. The difference in class was evident as the second set progressed, the lanky second seed setting up winners at will, picking up points with forceful crosscourt forehands winners. However, the battle between these two players of contrasting styles evened out in the decider with Rastogi retrieving everything coming across the net.

A disturbed Gajjar tried all sorts of things to throw his determined rival off track, mixing up shots, changing the pace of rallies and even resorted to hit his way out of trouble, but Rastogi's faith in his returning abilities was unshakeable. The match lasted one hour, 53 minutes before the Chennai leg champion booked his place in Saturday's final against Stoeckler.

The big-serving Swiss youngster proved too powerful for third seed Daldom Anuwat, winning in straight sets 7-5, 6-3. Stoeckler stuck to the comfort zone of serve-and-volley, leaving the smaller built Indonesian scrambling to connect. If he continues in this vein on Saturday, Rastogi will have a tough time. Strangely, the only player to have tamed him over the last fortnight happens to be Gajjar, now out of contention.

The girls' singles semifinals turned out to be long- drawn affairs, highlighted by prolonged rallies for almost every point, lasting more than two hours. The question is whether exhaustion would tell on the two players who survived to fight out Saturday's final - Isha and Rebecca. The former kept her returns low, ran down every ball to defeat Indonesia's Julianto. Likewise, frail Kartiki Bhat showed enough grit to bounce back after being 4-5, 0-40 down on rival Rebecca's serve in the first set to win 7-5, then went down fighting 4-6, 4-6 in the next two sets.

The results:

Boys: Singles semifinals: Dominic Stoeckler (Swi) bt 3-Daldom Anuwat (Indonesia) 7-5, 6-3; 4-Karan Rastogi bt 2-Rohan Gajjar 6- 4, 3-6, 6-2.

Doubles (final): A. Daldom/N. Pongkansub (Tha) bt Vikrant Sane/Arun Prakash 7-6 (7-3), 6-3.

Girls: Singles semifinals: 3-Rebecca Dandeniya (GBR) bt Kartiki Bhat 5-7, 6-4, 6-4; 11-Isha Lakhani bt 4-Diana Julianto (Ina) 6- 0, 4-6, 7-5.

Doubles (final): Sanaa Bhambri/P. Laosirichon (Tha) bt Preeti Rao/Nandita Chandrasekhar 2-6, 6-2, 6-2.

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