KARACHI Oct 1: Amita Arudpragsam of Sri Lanka and Mynamar's Su Chit Yee, made triumphant entries into the girls singles final, in the Karachi Club ITF junior world tanking tennis championship, after beating their Indian opponents on Friday.
Top seeded Amita faced stiff resistance in the opening set from the third seed Alisha Talwar. Locked at 2-2, Alisha had a marvellous chance to break Amita's service leading 30-0 and again at 40-30.
But fighting back with two crisp forehand smashes, Amita won the game after both girls were held at deuce twice. The two were still matching each other stroke for stroke till 5-5. Amita then with two back hand cross court smashes pulled away and won the first set 7-5.
But Alisha engaged Amita in long rallies with the two neck and neck at 2-2. Intent on finishing off her opponent, Amita went on to win the set without surrendering a further game, emerging a 7-5, 6-2, winner.
Fourth seeded left-hander Su Chit Yee was facing the second seed Inayat Khoshal played some fine volleys and drop shots to take the first set 6-3. Bemused with the proceedings, Inayat went on the attack with her powerful service and forceful drives which caught Su on the wrong foot to win the second set 3-6 to level the scores 1-1. But any faint hopes the Indian contingent had of seeing Inayat through to the final was soon dashed to the ground. Su attacking from the word go won the deciding set 6-1 and will now meet her doubles partner Amita Arudpragsam in the singles final on Saturday.
In the boys singles, top seeded Thai Kirit Siributwong had no difficulty of reaching the final when he breezed past India's Kinshik Sharma the fourth seed 6-0, 6-2. Kirit will now meet the sixth seeded Indian Gursher Harika in Sunday's final after the Indian lad caused another upset, shutting out the second seed Jitin Bishnoi also from India in two hard fought sets.
The 15-year-old earlier on Thursday evening knocked out the third seed Vijit Sehgal Harika and Jitin played attacking tennis with some awesome smashes and cross court shots refusing to be broken as the scores were tied 6-6 in the first set.
In the tiebreaker it was the same story with both players matching each other until Harika came out victorious 7-6 in the tiebreaker. Growing in confidence, Harika went for the kill and forcing his opponent into numerous unforced errors came out the winner 7-6, 6-3.
The Siributwong brothers from Thailand Kirit and Peerakit were just too good for Gursher Harika and his partner Rajkanwar Singh in the boys doubles semi-finals, registering a 6-2, 6-0 victory. But the same could no be said about second seeds Jitin Bishnoi and Kinshul Sharma, also from India, who had to work up a sweat while overcoming India's Vijit Seghal and Neil Rajpal from Canada 6-2, 6-3.
In the last match which lasted two hours and 10 minutes, the top seeds Amita Arudpragsam and Su Chit Yee beat the fighting combination of Alisha Talwar and Inayat Khosla. It was rather out of place to see the four young girls on court after a rest of only 20 minutes after their singles semi-finals.
However engaged in long rallies playing mainly from the baseline, Amita and Su won the first set 7-5. But with the crowd urging them on the Indian girls rose to the occasion levelling the scores after winning the second set 6-3.
With the crowd cheering for every point the two pair of girls looking very tired but running about the court were on even keel till 4-4. Amita scored on her service to put the Sri Lanka-Mynamar pair in front 5-4.
Then Alisha Down on her service 30-40 lobbed up a high ball to Su, who rushing in slammed the ball on Inayat' racquet which then flew off the court giving the tired Amita and Su final victory.
