Tennis Tournament - Day 16

Today we start with the 'Mortal Combat' (semifinals) of our tourney. A win here, takes you, just a step away from glory. But a loss here and well I don't think we have a 3rd prize, so you bite the dust. But before we move on here is a small update on the last day of Mahasangraam. The Day 14 of the tourney saw quite a few upsets.

Prashanth vs Subhash:
Prashanth and Subhash continued their game with 1 set each and the 0-0 in the third set. The first six games saw both the players losing their serve and now it was just a matter of who can keep one of his service and get set and the match. Subhash did so, atleast the first step. He kept his serve in the 7th game and took a 4-3 lead but Prashanth was equally determined. he kept his own serve and took the 8th game to make the set 4-4. The points and the games were won by very small margins and after hard fought rallies. It seemed as if this set would take an eternity. Just after 8 games, the set had taken almost an hour. Soon our guys went into a service breaking mode and took the scores to 5-5, It was here that the cool headed Prashanth started scoring. He broke Subhash, took a 6-5 lead and was serving for the match. Subhash gave him some nasty returns and got a few points, but in a game where consistency, stamina and mental fortitude matter, Prashanth had the edge. He got only one match point and did not err in taking it.

Final scoresheet: Prashanth beat Subhash: 3-6,6-3,7-5

Krishna vs Suchit:
In yet another exciting encounter of the day, it was Krishna Beri who got the better of Suchit in a 3 - setter. The highlight of this match was that all the 3 sets took place on the same day. It was an excruciating test of stamina as the 2 battled all the way. It was Krishna took the first set 6-4 only to lose the 2nd one 2-6. Suchit suddenly improved his game. He got his backhand going and was dominating the game. But the test of stamina got better of him, he could not hold on and Krishna took the 3rd set 6-4 to win the match.

Final scoresheet: Krishna beat Suchit: 6-4,2-6,6-4

Vijay vs Shashwath:
The stylish but struggling Vijay finally beat Shashwath. With the scores tied at a one set each, the match started with Vijay leading 3-1 in the third set. Shashwath fought hard but ended up making too many mistakes at crucial points. Nonetheless he still took 4 games in this set, but boss you gotto win 6 games atleast to win a set. It seems the Indian inspiration working ...... enna Vijay????

Final scoresheet: Vijay beat Shashwath: 6-4,4--6,6-4

Today's Upcoming Action:
The Sholay duo of Jay(Subhash)-Viru face the Achilles and his Myrmidon (Saurav-Venkat) in the first one of our Mortal Combat. Both of these are aggressive teams and have won convincingly against their opponents in the previous rounds. They should be equally matched and the encounter should be worth watching. The match starts at 6pm today taking into consideration the early sunsets these days. Be there to cheer our guys, as they sweat it out in the heat today, so what does our weather man have to say.