Sweet victory

Yesterday me and Ganesh completed our q-final match against Suchit/Pai the veterans.. It was very windy, not very ideal conditions to play tennis. But still there was no other go as Ganesh is all set to leave for India this Saturday. Anyhow, we won our doubles encounter!!

To be fair, it was expected of us as we were already leading 6-3, 5-7, 3-1. Still finishing the match actually was a relief. We had couple of match points at 5-1 itself with Suchit serving at 15-40.. But we failed to capitalize on that, with both me and Ganesh making some mistakes. Anyhow, we finally broke Pai at 5-3 and we are now into semi-finals!! And now the fun begins :-).. Ganesh won't be here so organizers have to decide what to do next. Either a by to the semi-finalist team, or one more chance to Suchit/Pai, or get some other team to play, or allow me to have another partner. In any case I am happy. Reaching semi-final is pretty good in itself.

You can follow the tennis news @ http://infytennis.googlepages.com

Life happens

So many things are going on in life, but still sometimes I wonder that nothing has happened. Maybe because there is no progression. I am the same person I was say an year ago, with nothing significant to show for the time spent. Except ofcourse all the fun times.

Tennis season is not going that well. I am out of the singles. Upendra defeated me in quarterfinals in a 3 setter. Hmm, I think I should have won, but he won, so he must have played better than me. I am happy with the way I am playing though. Tennis court is one place where time just flies for me. Playing tennis is maybe the thing I enjoy doing the most.

It is raining almost daily now. Sometimes it causes elation, but generally the weather looks gloomy. This is surprising as I love rains! Maybe the gloom has to do with something other than weather. I have been setting goals for myself relating to my MBA. And I have been failing miserably. At this rate I don't know what is in store for me. This is the rootcause for all the worry I guess.

Bhaai has given his MLE part 2. Finally :-).. I am happy for him. Hope the result comes soon and he scores well. We both are pretty stationary careerwise. But atleast he is working hard to move. I need to start too.

Tennis Tournament - 2006

09/07/2006 (Vikram)
And finally Agassi hangs up his boots. After his round 3 defeat at the US Open, this all time great player finally kissed good bye to professional tennis. A well deserved standing ovation at the Flushing Meadows, was for a player of par excellence, who above all records, stood as an emblem of fitness. It was a privilege to watch him play (at the age of 35) and subdue younger opponents, a great service and an amazing game.

I am sorry for this one, I guess it was due, for a long time now...So here are the final updates.

The Semifinals: Sriraj vs Shubha:
Shubha the little devil got bogged down by his fitness. An aching body and even more aching legs opened a window of opportunity to Sriraj. A tough fight ensued in the first set as both the players matched each other equally just when Sriraj picked up the pace and took the set 6 games to 4. With victory in sight, Sriraj took control of the game and soon took the second set 6-0. The dream run for Sriraj continued
Sriraj beat Shubha: 6-4, 6-0

The finals: Prashanth vs Sriraj:
This turned out to be a very high-profile match as it was braced by the presence of 2 of our LOB heads. Subhash was umpiring the game and Umesh had turned up to watch his boys fight out in an all CVM dominated match. Some how Prashanth felt the need to be urgent in winning the finals and after a cautious start he soon put the pedal to the floor and took the first set 6-3. A wake-up call for Sriraj, as he rallied his way into the second to find the set at 5-5. Bad light forced the game to the next day. A tame affair on the second day, the match ended in 2 games with Prashanth taking the championship. A well deserved runners up for Sriraj.
Prashanth beat Sriraj: 6-3, 7-5

So here are our Champions this season: Doubles: Saurav-Venkat (out of 15 participants)
Singles : Krishna Prashanth (out of 24 participants)

The prizes for the event would be distributed either at the 25 year celebrations or during our project party.

I would like to thank the organizing committee for Detroit Open 2006 for making this event a huge success. Venky, Aakash, Dilip thanx for making this summer an interesting one. Also a huge thanx to all the people who stood as umpires sometimes for 3 setters and on consecutive days..

And now as last year, it's my time, to leave you with some interesting comments of Detroit Open 2006.

- Prakash - Pakiya as he is better known to the junta - was available for comments."We bowled well...fielded well - but they won the match"

- Inspite of all the matches , last evenings highlight was Narasimha Pai's entry to the court. We missed the cheerleaders singing "the P " , " the A" and " the I". - Welcome PAI.. His first entry this summer.

- Now, it seems, my prophecy for "High Stakes" is coming good. Three new additions to the new racquet list, Praveen (PPD) and Krishna Prashanth (a whopping 130$ each)

- Praveen as usual played a high quality game. His motto is - throw anything at me, I will throw it back to you!

- We all know Viral/Shash/Rakesh are driven by an inspiration. Vikas has also joined the club, just that his inspiration was 'samosa'

- Saurabh shared his emotions something like this. "He won 12 games against me but I don't know whether I won even 12 points"

- The dark horse of this tourney Praveen took on the mighty Maratha John ......... John??? well that's Deepan

and now here's the best of them all
-
1. I saw two very tired guys running around to reach the ball.
2. I saw one umpire who happened to be our great Champion practicing there itself when players were rallying.
3. I think i saw a frustrated Tennis ball. It was frustrated because none of the players were allowing it to drop on the ground. The tennis ball must have been empathizing with its badminton counterpart.
4. When the match point was won i saw the umpires jumping in joy before the winner did.

08/25/2006 (Vikram)
A lot of key matches happened over the course of the week. It was the time for semifinals and finals too and for the first time in the history of the tourney we have a fitness victim. So here's the masala for you.

Krishna Prashanth vs Praveen Paul D'Souza: (The Semifinal)
A contest of 2 baseline players, a contest of 2 tough competitors but a contest of 2 best friends, this semifinal looked like more of an emotional melodrama, as the tough game it promised to be. The flamboyant PPD started his quest for victory on a good note in the semis and as per our earlier interpretation of Prashanth we thought PPD had this set. But Prashanth had some different ideas, soon enough the set went for a tiebreaker. Again PPD started off well with a 6-1 lead but Prashanth caught him offguard. He took the tie breaker 9-7 to seal the set 7-6. At this juncture PPD had lost the mental battle, he let Prashanth dominate him and lost the second set 6-0. As for Prashanth, this was a great victory and just a step away from the championship. As for PPD, the doctor's advice is to learn from the story of the tortoise and the hare.
Prashanth beat PPD: 7-6 (9-7), 6-0

Saurav-Venkat vs Deepan-Parag: (The Semifinal)
The best of the doubles game, comes to the fore, when these teams clash. The last year finalists picked from where they had left last year. The game was characterized by the class of master craftsman Saurav, some amazing shots from Deepan, some great serves from Parag and a very consistent play from Venky. The result was 2 of the hardest fought sets which decided the finals berth. Inspite of an amazing display Deepan-Parag somehow lacked the Killer instinct and could not capitalize on the very rare opportunities presented by their opponents. The result was victory for the defending champs Saurav - Venkat.
Saurav-Venkat beat Deepan-Parag: 6-4, 7-5

Saurav-Venkat vs Jeevan-PPD: (The Final)
The defending champs showed a great heart when they played the semis and final on consecutive days. Neither did their approach nor their performance change. Their opponents Jeevan-PPD had put in a lot of practice. Their enthusiasm was on the high but Saurav-Venkat proved their mettle when they took the first set 6 games to 1. What followed was an immense battle worthy of a final. PPD took care of the baseline and let Jeevan manage the net. Jeevan showed immense maturity at nets and refrained from hard hits instead was happy to drop the ball in front of the net. Shots which earned him praise even from his opponents. Jeevan PPD led the second set 5-4 but then our defending champs raised their level and got back the lead 6-5. At 3 championship points in the 12th game, Venkat hit the winning shot for the champs and brought a very emotional PPD to ground. Saurav-Venkat retained their title, but it was a very hard struggle this year. A lot of handshakes, smiles and even tears followed........
Saurav-Venkat beat Jeevan-PPD: 6-1, 7-5

The second semifinal of the Detroit Open 2006 brings together 2 rivals who haven't seen much of an action against each other.

On one hand we have Shubha Jyoti Pal. Talented but lazy, Mr Pal is a little devil who haunts his opponents on the court. His has been an equally arduous journey in this tourney when he took on the likes of Subhash and Shashwath en route to the semifinal spot. His key strengths, a very strong shoulder, very late played shots and very powerful shots with an immaculate placement. His weakness, level of fitness. Hear the Bengal Tiger roar as he enters his first semifinal in a tennis tourney.

His opponent, Mr Consistent Sriraj Unnikrishnan. Another offshoot of a tough round 1 group, Sriraj has shown that consistency and accuracy can be a good formula for victory. Thrashing rivals like Parag Rao, Venkat Sahai; Sriraj, was almost facing a quarter final exit as he faced Saurav Snehvrat. But it seems someone's been praying for him in India and the prayers were answered. Saurav pulled out due to some health problems (our fitness victim) and this lands Sriraj in the semis.

Weather permitting we would have this semifinal today, so be there to support your Star.

08/18/2006 (Vikram)
This morning I was stunned when I saw one of my mails with this punch line "Alcohol never solved anyone's problems but neither did milk". Well whatever it means to him, it shook me for a while.
Wednesday saw the completion of the first of the doubles semifinals and one more of singles Quarter Finals

Shubha vs Shashwath:
This match proved to me that people are taking my comments seriously (just kiddin). But it seemed on Wednesday, that the Tiger was awakened by a deadly wake up call. Shubha took 2 games to warm up and handed the second set to Shashwath 6 games to 1 but then the Tiger roared, silencing all his critics. Playing in his usual form Shubha made Shash run all around the court. It seemed he had done his homework right and soon he smashed his way into the third with a 6-3 victory. Well this one gave the bookies a run for their money, they did heave a sigh of relief at the end of the game.
Shubha beat Shash: 7-6, 1-6, 6-3

Jeevan-Praveen vs Rakesh-Dilip:
The Dream run for the Cool Dudes Rakesh-Dilip ended on Wednesday. Facing their round1 rivals both Rakesh and Dilip looked like they lacked practice. Praveen's game was supreme and the now improvised Jeevan gave him a very good company. Together they started exposing the chinks in their opponents armor. Yes there were long rallies, there were those cheeky shots and those amazing hard hits but as I had earlier mentioned PPD-Jeevan had the edge. They soon capitalized on their opponents weaknesses and strode into the finals with a 6-2, 6-3 victory. For them the revenge was sweet and I could see "Close Up" smile on their faces till an hour later when they left the court. They are now the first team in Finals' line up.
Jeevan-Praveen beat Rakesh-Dilip: 6-2, 6-3

08/16/2006 (Vikram)
This season has seen great action both on the court and off the court. The invincible Saurav has found some stiff opposition and so also many new talents have made their grand entry. But for the best action, off the court, award goes to the I-75 stroll of the summer (No points for guessing this one). Well here is the update for today.

Shubha vs Shashwath:
In the lone game of Tuesday, the Bengal Tiger Shubha encountered Shash. The bookies had bet for a one sided anticlimax with Shubha as the crowned winner but the match had a different story to tell. Mr Tiger was playing in his own world of horrors and found himself in a tiebreaker in the very first game. Shubha somehow salvaged some pride when he took the set 7-6, but the second set saw Shash dominating. Some amazing shots from him sent Shubha on the backfoot and Shubha started committing unforced errors. Shubha somehow did not live up to his expectation, he could not make Shash run and his cross court shots found the net more often than not. Shash was leading the set 4 games to 1 when bad light was called.
Score till now: Shubha vs Shash: 7-6, 1-4

Today marks the beginning of the doubles semifinals and a countdown to the finals. Four of the best doubles teams in Auburn Hills are competing for the coveted Detroit Open 2006 Title. So here is a low down on our to be champions

Saurav-Venkat: The defending champions of Auburn Hills this team has been rated as the topmost team to win this tourney. Starting this season in Group A, the toughest double's group, these guys have never faltered and been professional although. They have carried their no loss record into this year as they smashed past any kind of opposition encountered till now with a relative ease. Their success has been marred only by the recent ill health of Saurav. But doctoron ka maanana hai ki, jawaan khoon hai, jald hi theek ho jaayega.

Parag-Deepan: The toughest team from Group C, the mighty Marathas have ruled this tourney. Again a no loss record for this tourney till now. They have had some nervous starts lately but have picked up the flow and in the heat of the battle have come out victorious. At times they have handed over crashing defeats to their enemies, But to win this one they have to get their acts together and that too from set one.

A repeat of last years final as these teams clash again but will it provoke interest

Rakesh-Dilip: From the first round exit of last year Rakesh has come a long way this season. He secured a round 2 spot in singles. But his biggest bet has been the doubles. Ably supported by the consistent Dilip Kalra, they formed a deadly combination in the doubles category. Rakesh has developed as a good baseline player but he excels at the net. That's where Dilip's baseline play helps him. They too have had an unbeaten record till now in this tourney.

Praveen-Jeevan: Perhaps the only team that does not have an unbeaten record here. This team had some starting problems, with Jeevan lagging behind in all Departments, that's when they had their first defeat, but Jeevan has picked up since and now this team seems to be all set. They proved their mettle when they defeated Prashanth-Shallex in the quarters.

Another coincidence as these teams clash for their semis after having a round one encounter, but this time around Praveen-Jeevan seem to have the edge.

08/15/2006 (Vikram)
Wish you a very Happy Independence Day ( It hasn't changed for me yet :-) ). For all you people who thought the struggle for independence ended on 15th Aug 1947, let me remind you, it is an everyday affair, esp in this age of terrorism. Let us not forget the countless soldiers and civilians (yes them too) who have laid down their life for our country.

OK; alright now back to my job, well this weekend we celebrated watching one of the best movies of our age KANK. Comparable only to Kisna, it gave a good hangover to everyone involved (as you can see I am still psyched). On courts too there was a lull as only 3 matches took place. Here are the updates:

Parag-Deepan vs Aakash-Shubha:
On second day of the Bengal Tigers vs Marathas encounter, steam was already out. The Tigers took no time to go down to the Marathas as they lost the match in only 2 games played that day. The Marathas took the third set 6-4. The tigers were hunted down for one last time this season.
Parag-Deepan beat Aakash-Shubha: 4-6, 6-0, 6-4

Krishna Prashanth vs Suchit:
Sometimes I feel that Prashanth has a habit of playing with his opponents. He shows them the carrot, by playing a loose first set, he has sometimes even given up his first set only to come back in the second and third. This game was no exception, after more than 45 mins of struggle Suchit found himself at the tiebreaker with both the players at 6 games each, with all due credits to Suchit (coz you gotto get that carrot once shown). Again the match seemed evenly poised in the tiebreaker, when Prashanth pushed the pedal to the floor. He took the tiebreaker 7-5. By the second set exhaustion had set in for Suchit but Prashanth looked fresh. He smashed his way into the second by 6-1 victory becoming the first player this season to reach the semis.
Prashanth beat Suchit: 7-6, 6-1

Praveen vs Deepan:
In yet another stellar performance Praveen Paul D'souza, became the second player this year to reach the semifinals of the Tennis Tourney. The dark horse of this tourney Praveen took on the mighty Maratha John ......... John??? well that's Deepan. In a hard fought first set, Praveen matched him for every shot. Since both are good baseline players, the result was long and tiring rallies. PPD returned everything thrown at him. But PPD had the edge and he took the first set 7-5. In the second he completely outclassed Deepan with 6 games to 2 victory.
Praveen beat Deepan: 7-5, 6-2

Coming up:
The coming days would see the remaining quarter final encounters for the singles Shubha vs Shash and Sreeraj vs Saurav and then the semifinals in both the categories would begin. So be there ......

08/11/2006 (Vikram)
This week saw the round 2 for Detroit Open 2006 wrapping up (singles that is). It featured some of the most exciting matches, aptly reported by Venky and Prashanth. This week also witnessed the quarter finals in the double's category. With only 7 single's and 3 double's encounters remaining, The competition has become fiercer than ever before. So what happened yesterday on the courts, here is your scoop.

Saurav-Venkat vs Suchit-Pai:
The writing on the wall looked clear for this one as the Defending Champs, Saurav-Venkat took on last year's semifinalists Suchit-Pai. All through this tourney Suchit-Pai had lacked the charisma that had driven them to the semifinals last year. Saurav-Venkat started on their winning ways right from the beginning, but Suchit-Pai put up a good show. Pai was fascinating at the nets and Suchit played well from the baseline. There were some very long rallies characterized by hard hits and dropshots. Fantastic Pai, danced and jumped all around the court to make some amazing returns, but finally professionalism reigned supreme. The Defending Champs went on to win the game in straight sets. Later describing his opponents, Saurav stated "It felt, as if we played with the veterans". And I thought Subhash-Viru were the veterans.
Saurav-Venkat beat Suchit-Pai:6-2, 6-2

Aakash-Shubha vs Parag-Deepan:
It was the turn of the Bengal Tigers to prove their mettle against the mighty Marathas, as the last quarter final match of the tourney began. It was characterized by a classic Deepan run around the court, and the tiger huddle of Aakash-Shubha. The match started on a positive note for the Marathas as they were leading the first set 3-0, but the tigers soon caught up and overtook the Marathas to win the set 6-4. In the second set the Maratha duo set aside their nervous start and showed what they are really capable of. They took the set effortlessly 6-0. The men were now playing in fading light for the 3rd and final set. It was an encounter like never before. Both the teams started matching each other; one to one. With the 3rd set tied 4 games each the Umpires had to call off the match for bad light. The game would resume today, so will the Marathas make history or will the Tigers have a happy hunting, I can't wait to see.
Aakash-Shubha vs Parag-Deepan: 6-4, 0-6, 4-4

08/10/2006 (Krishna Prashant)
I am just a temporary reporter working for my Boss Punjab Kesari who is on a short vacation and this is my first assignment. So bear with me for sometime as i give you some updates on some Round 2 and QF matches that happened over the last few days.

Sreeraj Vs Venkat
The Mr. Consistent Sreeraj faced the baby faced aggressor Venkat in a round 2 match. Both knew that they are playing this match for pride and nothing more as the winner would advance to the next round and will end his outing when he faces Saurav in the Quarter finals. (Hey Saurav! if you can lock yourself out of your house like you did last week and leave your racket inside, then that would be GREAT!). Venkat seemed confident and easily took the first set 6-2 . Then probably he started thinking about the end result and took his focus out of his game and that is a big mistake when one is playing against a consistent hitter like Sreeraj. Sreeraj places the ball very well and if he backs it up with some speed then he will be deadly and the opponent will be dead. Venkat hit the ball and it was going like a rocket (or whatever our Mr. Ravi Shastri says "like a Tracer/racer bullet". I have no idea ). But Sreeraj returned very well and waited for venky to make mistakes and Venky wholeheartedly obliged. The match went into the third set and stopped at 3-4 with Sree leading and both Players agreed to continue the match some other day. They continued their match on Wednesday and Sree took the third set 6-4 and entered the Quarter Finals. Congrats Sree!

Result: Sreeraj won 2-6, 6-4, 6-4

Suchit Vs Vikram
Let me be Frank here. I did not see this match except for the last game of the match(I was playing somewhere else and my boss is going to fire me as i was not on duty!).So all my comments are from that last game only. Let me tell you all what i saw.
1. I saw two very tired guys running around to reach the ball.
2. I saw one umpire who happened to be our great Champion practicing there itself when players were rallying.
3. I think i saw a frustrated Tennis ball. It was frustrated because none of the players were allowing it to drop on the ground. The tennis ball must have been empathizing with its badminton counterpart.
4. When the match point was won i saw the umpires jumping in joy before the winner did.

So all in all congrats Suchit for entering the Quarter finals and since you will be playing me in the Quarters, let me assure you that we are going to have a three setter.-:)
Result: Suchit won 6-2, 7-5

Shallex,Prashant Vs Praveen,Jeevan
This game is sort of mixed feelings for me as two of my best friends won, but the biggest friend for me of all which is me and myself lost. We always knew that it will be difficult for us with these guys as they know our game. They knew that Pinto is good at the nets but they also knew that Pinto cannot and will not run around. So they did the best thing. Not to give anything to Pinto at the nets. The first set was pretty easy for them and they raced to take it 6-3. In the second set, I woke up from my sleep and started playing some shots and pinto continued his onslaught at the nets and we went 3-0 up. Then PPD started to get nervous and the look on his face was a Kodak moment. The thought of taking a snap of PPD's face from my mobile did cross my mind a few times. But the 3-0 lead did not last long as PPD and Jeevan came back to make it 3-3 and then took the set 6-4. That was the end of Detroit open 2006 doubles for us. Congrats PPD and Jeevan. You have reached the Semi finals. Good Luck!

Result: Praveen,Jeevan won 6-3, 6-4

Dilip,Rakesh vs Shashwath,Suraaj
Dilip and Rakesh played Shash and Suraaj in another Quater finals. Dilip and Rakesh have not lost any match till now and they were confident. Shash and Suraaj played well in the first set and took it 2-6. Then Shash probably started thinking about Stan's and Suraaj probably started thinking about India and they lost the second set 6-3. Rakesh was playing at his best so far, and this inspired our very own Dilip. Now that both were playing at their peak, there was no hope for Shash/Suraaj duo. Rakesh and Dilip did not waste time to take the third set 6-3 and raced into the Semi Finals where they will be meet PPD and Jeevan again. Congrats Guys!.

Result: Dilip,Rakesh won 2-6, 6-3, 6-3


08/01/2006 (Vikram)
This has been another Happy Weekend for me, no points for guessing this one, Michael Schumacher had his 3rd consecutive victory in F1, at the German GP. At the Tennis Courts of Auburn Hills, the deciding matches for round 1 in the doubles category happened over the weekend. It spelt out joy of success for some new and upcoming teams but disappointment for a few veteran players.

Subhash-Viru vs Prashanth-Shallex:
In a battle for survival, the talented but under prepared Subhash-Viru faced the budding talent of Krishna Prashanth and Shallex. The veterans of the game Subhash-Viru found themselves on the backfoot from the first set itself as they lost it 2 games to 6. As they were coming into their own, rain interrupted the play. A hard fought second set on the second day resulted in 6-4 victory for Prashanth-Shallex. This sealed off the fate for our veterans, atleast for the doubles category.
Prashanth-Shallex beat Subhash-Viru: 6-2, 6-4

Saurav-Venkat vs Aakash-Shubha:
Whenever these arch rivals clash, spectators win, as they are treated to a very wonderful display of tennis. The stylish Bengal Tigers put up a brave fight against the defending champions, but the class of Saurav, ably supported by Venkat, had no plans of looking back. The game started on an awful note for the Tigers as they lost the first set 6-0. The only way they could salvage their pride was by winning 2 games in the second set. The Tigers were finally hunted down by the defending champs. No regrets for either team as both of them are already in the quarter finals.
Saurav-Venkat beat Aakash-Shubha: 6-0, 6-2

Suchit-Pai vs Diwakar-Krishna:
Another underprepared team Suchit-Pai in a fight for their own survival clashed against Diwakar-Krishna but this time around the result was a bit different. Suchit had put in some practice and Pai found his lost form as they started marching towards their success. The first set was a hard fought battle with long rallies, hard shots and tricky placement on both the sides, Suchit-Pai could cling on to a narrow edge and took the set 6-4. With a quarter final berth now in sight, they became even more aggressive and smashed their way thru the second set with a 6-1 victory.
Suchit-Pai beat Diwakar-Krishna: 6-4, 6-1

Shashwath-Suraaj vs Vikram-Viral:
Vikram-Viral, another battered team, badly in need of a victory, went down fighting to the now in form Suraaj-Shash. Suraaj-Shash needed to confirm their quarter final berth and a victory here would give them the necessary insurance. Vikram-Viral tried to put up a brave fight but many a times overdid themselves. Vikram could not get his lethal first serves in, consistently and Viral continued on with double faults. At the other end Suraaj and Shash kept them pinned down with some high precision shots from the net. Although there was an occasional aggressive forehand from Viral, it could not save the day for them. In a very quick route to defeat, Vikram-Viral did not even wait for the rains.
Shashwath-Suraaj beat Vikram-Viral: 6-0, 6-2

Subhash vs Rohan:
Again facing an early exit, Subhash displayed his true class, when he took on Rohan. A champion of TT, Rohan was no match for the flamboyant Subhash. Rohan still showed the spirit of a fighter as he took 4 games in the match.
Subhash beat Rohan: 6-1, 6-3

Shash vs Girish:
In a soft match of their group, Shash clashed against Girish. Soft match since both the players were already in round 2. Shash maintained his winning form and handed a thrashing defeat to Girish, who somehow was concentrating more on movie timings than the match.
Shash beat Girish: 6-1, 6-1

Now only 3 matches of round 1 are remaining which can all be called as soft matches as they would have no consequence for the knockout round in both the categories. The tourney is now poised to go to the next stage. The boys have already been seperated from the men, now it is the time to choose the titans from these men. So all the best guys, hope to see an ever enthralling round 2.


07/26/2006 (Vikram)
I am back with the regular tennis masala. Incidentally I still report for Dainik Golmaal coz is duniya mein, 'Golmaal hai bhaai, sab Golmaal hai'.

This week has been characterized by the last set of or should I say do or die matches for round 1 in both the categories. The glamorous list of outstanding (standing out) people has been graced with some very popular names. In the singles the picture for round 2 is very clear with only 2 matches remaining. But the stakes for doubles are still open with teams coming up with surprise packages for their opponents with soaring and sliding form.

Venkat vs Jeevan:
Doubles Partners of 2 great names in AH Tennis clashed this Monday. An improvised and finer tuned Jeevan proved no match for the sheer class of Venkat. Venkat stamped his domination pretty early in the match with 6-0 first set victory. A resilient fightback from Jeevan could get him only 3 games in the second and thus he joined the ranks of round 1 exits.
Venkat beat Jeevan:6-0, 6-3

Saurav vs Saurabh:
In yet another anticlimax of a match, the mighty Mr.Achillies got better of Saurabh Gupta. A straight sets white wash, brought an end to Saurabh's dreams of a round 2 position, but a humble and cheerful Saurabh shared his emotions something like this. "He won 12 games against me but I don't know whether I won even 12 points". Way to go man, that's what I call Happy-go-Lucky.
Saurav beat Saurabh: 6-0 6-0

Prashant-Shallex vs Sreeraj-Ganesh:
An amazingly hard fought match found these teams playing on 2 separate days to complete an awe inspiring 3 setter. Prashant-Shallex have been a revelation for this year. A fantastic player of the baseline Prashant is complimented well by Shallex at the net. But Ganesh and Sreeraj have been practicing in secret it seems. They have given all their opponents, till now, a run for their money. With the balance of the game shifting either way, the first set saw a tie breaker. Ganesh and Sreeraj quickly encashed the opportunity to take the set 7-6. A hard fought second also went into a tie breaker but this time Prashant-Shallex came out with the honors. With the game tied at 2 sets each, it was a matter of continuing the momentum, this is where Prashant is the best. Prashant-Shallex took the final set 6-4 and sealed the fate of the match.
Prashant-Shallex beat Sreeraj-Ganesh: 6-7, 7-6, 6-4

Sreeraj vs Parag:
In a very average display of Tennis, Parag lost to his more consistent and determined opponent. Sreeraj played the game at his own pace and dictated the terms as Parag could not put up a good show. Although the first set was a hard fought tug-off war. Parag, nursing an aching shoulder, lost the initiative after dragging it to a tie breaker. But as in a tug-off war Parag lost his drive the second set. His game was predictable. Incorrect placement and the absence of his elegant slices gave an easy opening for Sreeraj. But nonetheless Parag is a player of class and Sreeraj did a very good job of keeping him in check. Accuracy and consistency opened the gates of round 2 for Sreeraj. A tough group claimed a worthy victim in the form of Parag.
Sreeraj beat Parag: 7-6, 6-1

Saurav vs Vikas:
In a very early match of round 2, Saurav the Destroyer, became the first player to reach quarter finals. Completely outclassed by his talented opponent, Vikas could not hold out his own. He received a 6-0 thrashing in his first set. But a Samosa challenge saw him take one game before his flame died out. A worthy fighter in his own right Vikas, tried hard. But Saurav blasted everything thrown at him.
Saurav vs Vikas: 6-0, 6-1


07/21/2006 (Venkat)
The earlier mail provoked a lot of controversy. Looks like you all didnt like the name 'Ajit Jalandhar'. Many even thought this was an actual person! Actually Ajit Jalandhar is a famous newspaper in Punjab. Anyway in an effort to steer clear of all this, I am changing the name of my review to 'Punjab Kesari'. A name you can better relate to ;-)

So here are the uncovered matches so far -

Suchit Vs Viral
Somethings get better with age. No, Suchit is not one of them ;-) But still he proved that he is not to be taken lightly! Suchit was able to thwart the challenge posed by Viral with a mix of precision and aggression. Viral again played a great game, and I am sure by next year it would be difficult to beat him. The best part of his game is his forehand. He can use it to great advantage, and Suchit didnt have any answer to many of his shots! On the downside Suchit committed a lot of errors and gave away too many easy points. And he does need to work on his stamina :-)
Result: Suchit won 6-2, 6-3

Vikas Vs Viral
This match would go into the folklore of Infosys Onsite! We all know Viral/Shash/Rakesh are driven by an inspiration. Vikas has also joined the club, just that his inspiration was 'samosa'. Yes, its not a typo!! Vikas was down one set 2-6, when Saurav bet him a samosa if he wins! All of a sudden we could see the image of samosa in Vikas's eye! He played with a vigor we never thought he had. He turned the match on its head, and won in a hard-fought 3 setter. Viral played nice in first set, but after that he was just not able to match the enthusiasm of Vikas. Vikas was all over the court giving 101% and he even blanked out Viral in the 3rd set!
Result: Vikas won 2-6, 6-2, 6-0

Aakash/Shubha Vs Sreeraj/Ganesh
This was a very crucial match for both the teams of Group-A. The Bengal tigers were able to make the most of it and they are now assured of a game in the next round. Not just that, with this tough win they are now a contender for the finals too! Defeating Sreeraj/Ganesh was difficult from the word go. Some even touted them to be the favorites, but Aakash/Shubha had other plans. The Bengal tigers have adopted a strategy that is working great for them. They concentrate on returning the ball with minimal errors, and in between they would play some shots. This keeps the opponents on the wrong foot, and forces them to play aggressively. Sreeraj/Ganesh also fell to this ploy and made mistakes at crucial junctures. It is hard to believe that they were leading in both sets 4-1!! They really have to take their game to the next level if they want to make it to the next round. Group-A is turning out to be a tough group, and it is still wide open. May the best teams advance!!
Result: Aakash/Shubha won 6-4, 7-5


07/19/2006 (Venkat)
Looks like the Dainik Golmaal press has been shutdown for the summers! But don't worry, Ajit Jalandhar is here to provide the news! Lets start from where Dainik Golmaal stopped. The uncovered matches so far -

Aakash Vs Suraaj
The match begin with a dare! With Aakash asking Suraaj to bring his skills to the court, and Suraaj asking him to bring his big round tummy. Both obliged. The match was as close as it could get. Aakash was matching Suraaj's shots with his precision. It was a battle of nerves as the loser would see the exit door from singles tourney. In the end a faltering Suraaj won, but not before Aakash saved more than 10 match points! We still need to see if Suraaj can carry the confidence from this victory to next round. Unfortunately Aakash's quest for singles title ends here. He has been a sort of revelation this season. No one expected that he could play tennis of this quality! Stretching Deepan to 3 sets, and giving Suraaj a scare - he is a winner afterall.
Result: Suraaj won 7-6, 7-5

Prashant Vs Sreeraj
There are some matches where the scoreline fails to do justice to the quality of game played. This was one such match. Prashant was in a class of his own, and proved why he is still the number 1 threat to Saurav. But Sreeraj was not about to go down without a fight. His serves and placement were a treat to watch. Alas, they couldn't shake our Mr Impeccable Prashant. Prashant was all over the court winning points at will. In favor of Sreeraj, it looked like he was bit short of practice. Since then he has been spotted on court a lot more! So his next match against Parag should be a treat to watch!
Result: Prashant won 6-1, 6-0

Saurabh Vs Vikram
These guys have been under a lot of criticism for their tennis skills. I invite all the critics to watch their game now! Both have improved tremendously over last few weeks. Their shots are now packed with power and precision. They just need to run a little more :-). It was a good match with Vikram dictating terms from the beginning. Saurabh did prove to be a worthy fighter, but that was not enough to stop Vikram. Looks like all the practice done by Vikram has now started paying off. Whoever thought Vikram would be a pushover think so at their own peril!
Result: Vikram won 6-3, 6-2

Rakesh Vs Shubha
This match started with a lot of expectations of a good fight. And it proved to be just that. Shubha started the match confidently and won the first set in no time. Little did he realize that Rakesh was just warming up! So what we saw in 2nd set was a thing of absolute beauty. Rakesh took control and sent Shubha running all sides of the court. Of special mention were his shots from the net. Shubha had no clue what struck him and lost the set. In the next set he was better prepared and the final battle began. It was very close till the end, and to Shubha's credit he converted the first match point he got. With this victory Shubha has proved to be a worthy group topper. The victory will also ensure that he doesn't meet Praveen in pre-quarters!
Result: Shubha won 6-3, 5-7, 6-4

Aakash/Shubha Vs Prashant/Shallex
Aakash/Shubha started the match as hot favorites. The Bengali duo have built a reputation by defeating Jay/Viru. So it was upto our Kannadigas to prove that they are in contention too! They had looked vulnerable after their defeat against Saurav/Venkat. But with this match they showed that they are not to be taken lightly. The kannadiga duo won first set in a blaze. Shallex played well at the nets, and Prashant played amazingly at the baseline. His shots were a treat to watch. Our Bengali duo pulled their act together in the 2nd set and gave a good fight. But Shallex/Prashant were already on a roll and finished the match with a straight set victory.
Result: Prashant/Shallex won 6-1, 6-4

Praveen/Jeevan Vs Saurabh/Vikas
This was an interesting match. Saurabh/Vikas were leading 3-1 in both sets, but were just not able to maintain the lead. Was it the pressure or Praveen playing in the opposite side?! Both Vikas and Saurabh were hitting good shots and were aggressive on the court. In addition they committed a lot of unforced errors which in end proved to be their downfall. Nevertheless, Praveen and Jeevan played a good game. Jeevan's game is improving with each outing, and I wonder what he has in store for his next match with me! Praveen as usual played a high quality game. His motto is - throw anything at me, I will throw it back to you! He can play equally well, whether it is baseline or net.
Result: Praveen/Jeevan won 6-4, 6-4

Deepan/Parag Vs Viral/Vikram
It was an easy outing for last years finalists as they defeated Viral/Vikram in straight sets. The Maratha warriors stamped their class, and hit an array of shots. Viral/Vikram tried their best and were able to hit some frighteningly good shots. But a match is not won by solitary points. It requires persistence and quality for the entire duration. And in this department Deepan/Parag are the best. The spin shots of Parag and baseline play of Deepan would please any puritan, and we were no exception. They are well on their way to be the group toppers, is there anyone to put up a roadblock?!
Result: Deepan/Parag won 6-2, 6-1

Shashwath/Suraaj Vs Diwakar/Krishna
In yesterdays match, Shashwath/Suraaj salvaged their reputation with a solid won. They had been drawing a lot of flak for playing subpar matches, and we were wondering if this team was overrated. The PD team put all this speculation to rest by defeating Diwakar/Krishna in straight sets. If Shash was playing classic badminton dunks from the net, Suraaj was hitting his trademark forehands. Looks like they have got their touch back, opponents beware! The game of Diwakar/Krishna was rusty at best. The number of unforced errors committed were just too much. Both these guys have enough talent to play a great game, just that they need to apply themselves better.
Result: Shashwath/Suraaj won 6-1, 6-2

07/11/2006 (Vikram)
It is on a very sad note that I am sending you this mail. Bombay has seen another series of blasts as over a 100 innocent commuters have been killed in local trains whilst they were going home from work on the fateful day today, July 11th, 2006 ........................................... but as a Mumbaikar myself I know that come what may the show must go on.

So here are the updates for today.

Detroit Open 2006 is back after a long (weekend) break. Many things have happened in the sports world since, Michael Schumacher and Ferrari dominated the Formula 1 US GP. It was a great pleasure to watch him stamp his domination on the circuit. In soccer, Italy surprised Germany with 2 last minute goals and someone became the first player to retire with a red card in extra time. Zidane has a drawn a lot of publicity for his retirement, but for all the wrong reasons. And now here are the happenings in our very own Detroit Open 06.

Suchit-Pai vs Vikram-Viral:
The last match before the break saw these 2 teams clash. Both of them displayed nerves as unforced errors rained on the court from both sides. It turned out as the team with least errors would win. Suchit and Pai did a good job at that. They slowed down the pace of the game and tried to play more accurately. They took the first set 6-1 and were dominating the second 4-2 when a late spirited fightback from Vikram and Viral took them by surprise. This late blitz helped Vikram-Viral to win a few battles but the war was already lost.
Final Score: Suchit-Pai beat Viral-Vikram: 6-1,6-3

Sunday saw 3 interesting battles as the singles round 1 raged on. The day was characterized by a very strong wind:

Praveen vs Subhash:
Praveen Paul D'Souza (PPD) or BT (as he was known in offshore), seems to be the dark horse of this season. His absence last season meant that he did not start as a favorite (atleast on paper). But people watching his game knew what to expect from him. In his doubles match earlier, he had single handedly taken the fight to Dilip Rakesh. So when he faced Subhash for his single's he was shining with confidence. Subhash, known as a better player from past 2 years seemed equally determined. PPD started his blitzkrieg from first point and crushed any opposition from Subhash. He dominated the proceedings as took the game in straight sets 6-1,6-0. Do we have a challenger for Saurav here???
Final Score: Praveen beat Subhash: 6-1, 6-0

Deepan vs Suraaj:
Mr Textbook, The Great Maratha, Deepan Choudhary, dominated yet another quicky as he nailed his opponent Suraaj 6-1, 6-2. Seemingly disturbed by the wind, Suraaj was totally out of sorts and lasted only an hour against Deepan who was somehow able to use the wind to his advantage, on both the sides of the court. Deepan is the first single's player to reach round 2.
Final Score: Deepan beat Suraaj: 6-1, 6-2

Suchit vs Vikas:
In one of the most painfully slow and pathetically boring encounters of the tourney, 2 old men Suchit and Vikas clashed (in a real slow motion act). The match progressed slowly each one allowed the other to dominate while he rested. They equalized each other in every game and at 6-6 they lay tired on the courts (needless to say without any hard hits or fast serves). Suchit dominated the tie breaker and took the first set 7-6. A resurgent Vikas found himself leading the second set 5-3, just when his strength gave up on him. Suchit took 4 games in a row to take the set and the match 7-5.
Final Score: Suchit beat Vikas: 7-6, 7-5

Monday sealed the fates for a few competitors as 3 more games took place. The 3 matches in their ascending order of climax went like this:

Shubha vs Diwakar:
Shubha's reputation to make people run for their money remained intact as we saw Diwakar fighting to cover the whole court. Shubha in a class of his own delivered lethal blows one after the other. Diwakar could not take such an onslaught and lost the match tamely in a near perfect weather. This loss means that the single's tourney is over for Diwakar.
Final Score: Shubha beat Diwakar: 6-2, 6-1

Shashwath vs Prakash:
In an unexpected 3 setter, Prakash Kumar went down fighting to the crowd favorite Shash. Both the players kept on losing their serves as the first set stood 3-3, Shash held on to 2 of his own to take the set 6-3. A resurgent Prakash dominated the 2nd set as he led 5-0. His shots were more aggressive and his body language more confident as he took the set 6-2. He was helped on his way by the numerous double faults from Shashwath. As expected the 3 rd set seemed to be a climax never seen before. Both the players matched each other in shots and serves, with no one ready to give up (too many deuces). But the battle for endurance was won by Shash as he took the third set 6-2. With this loss Prakash Kumar has joined Diwakar in exiting the tourney.
Final Score: Shashwath beat Prakash: 6-3, 2-6, 6-2

Prashanth vs Parag:
As the above 2 matches were reaching their climax another drama was unfolding on the third game of the day. In one of the toughest groups in singles, yesteryear finalist Krishna Prashanth faced off the talented Parag. It was a contest not only of talent, endurance, physical stamina but mental fortitude above all. In one of the longest game this tourney has seen so far, Parag started off on a dominating note as he took the first set 6-3. But Prashanth was just warming up. He came back in the second set and the match became a clash of the Titans. Long rallies, hard shots, great spinning slices enthralled the crowd (and yes there was a crowd, mostly non-Infy). The finesse and raw talent of the players was an absolute thrill to watch. Prashanth took the second set 6-2. The third was an even harder fought set as none of the players wanted to lose, they were already soaked up in sweat and it wasn't even a round 2 match. Kudos to Prashanth as he won the 3rd set from a worthy competitor. A 3 setter climax saw Prashanth win an absolute legend of a match.
Final Score: Prashanth beat Parag: 3-6, 6-2. 6-1


06/28/2006 (Vikram)
"Khudi ko karke buland chadha woh jaise taise,
Khudi ko karke buland chadha woh jaise taise,
Aur Khuda ne bande khud poochha ,
abe ab utarega kaise"

I would start this update with due regards to Raju Srivastav. After quite sometime now, there was a lull in the tourney, both off the court as well as on the court. The cloudy skies over Auburn Hills were indicating as if some secret strategies are sprawling up. Perhaps the pain of writing reports is that over a period of time people think of you as the paparazzi and maintain a cunning silence around you :-(((

Due to some unavoidable circumstances the match between Saurabh and Saurav had to be rescheduled, but luckily I had another one to report.

David tames Goliath:
In the lone game that took place yesterday, Venkat Sahai faced the mammoth Krishna Beri. Krishna seemed to be equally determined in his second, singles encounter, he had a the confidence of an earlier win. But Venkat was equally committed to the task. In a hard fought first set, Venky seemed to have the edge over Krishna as he took the set 6-4. But Krishna came back in the 2nd with a 6-4 set winner. The duel went long and hard as both the players, played long rallies. No hard serving not many hard shots, every move seemed to follow a rhythm. The longer the match went, the tiring it became. Finally in the third set, Venky pushed the pedal to the floor and won the match with a 6-2 final set win.
Final Score: Venkat beat Krishna: 6-4, 4-6, 6-2

Aaj ki Jung:
Today promises a lot of action as 3 doubles matches are scheduled.

In the first scheduled game for today, the defending champions Saurav-Venkat face the might of Bengal Tigers. Both the teams have had their share of success in the tourney till now and rearing to go. Just a recap of last year when these 2 teams met, Tigers had drawn the first blood with 3-0 in set one but soon succumbed to their opponents. Will the tigers be able to take revenge this year or will it be a good hunting time for the defending champs .......

In the second match for today, Viru-Subhash are up against Shallex-Prashanth. Both these teams have lost their season starters and need a victory here to stay in the hunt for the championship.

And last but not the least, I can hear the Cheer Leaders as Pai-Suchit clash against Vikram-Viral. Although Vikram-Viral are not highly rated as compared to their opponents but they have been practicing well and they have the new racquet magic. On the contrary our celebrity Mr.Pai, has only made one guest appearance on the court this season, so will there be a surprise in store, well, please be on the courts to witness it .................

Weather man sees another day of scattered T-storms for today, hope they don't play a spoil sport on the courts today.


06/27/2006 (Vikram)
Thank you all for your support, I did not receive any response for my note yesterday, so I guess as readers you all are equally enthusiastic.

I welcome you to another edition of Detroit Open Updates. Now, it seems, my prophecy for "High Stakes" is coming good. Three new additions to the new racquet list, Praveen (PPD) and Krishna Prashanth (a whopping 130$ each) and Gaurav Goyal (50$) and I thought we were just having a small Tourney here. All I can say is that people seem to be damn serious this year. There was some talk about 30+ tablets, I guess some people are taking realage.com to heart. But will we get a challenger for Saurav, I guess there are quite a few names, let the tourney decide.

On court yesterday there were some spectacular games, here are the details:

Tigers roar to a victory:
Putting up a very professional display Bengal Tigers, Aakash and Shubha performed the last rites so to say by taking 4 straight games and sealing their victory over Subhash - Viru. A lot of unforced errors from their opponents ensured an easy victory for the tigers.
Final Score: Aakash-Shubha beat Subhash-Viru: 6-7, 6-4, 6-2

Rakesh juggernaut keeps rolling:
It seemed as if Rakesh started from where he had left in the doubles league. In his first, singles encounter against Diwakar, Rakesh started off to a flyer with 6-2 victory in set 1. Mixing caution with aggression he sent Diwakar on the back foot. The only real challenge from Diwakar came in the 2nd set where he went on to win 4 games but soon was silenced as Rakesh took the set 6-4.
Final Score: Rakesh beat Dilip: 6-2, 6-4

Bengal Tiger goes down fighting:
In an awe inspiring display of Tennis, Aakash made the full use of his new racquet and a lot of inspiration, in challenging Deepan. The lone Tiger led from the very beginning in the first set. In a display of accuracy against aggression, accuracy prevailed. Deepan somehow managed a tie breaker but Aakash didn't take long to win the tie breaker and take the set 7-6. At this juncture Mr.Textbook shots, Deepan was out of his wits. In the next set Deepan became more lethal, it seemed as if the first set was just a warm up.for him. He came back with a vengeance, on a now tired Aakash to take the second set 6-2. A weary fightback from Aakash pushed the last set to 10 games, but the writing on the board was clear, a 6-4 win for Deepan. Nonetheless, Aakash's display was more than heroic, since Deepan is a dreaded player, one in the list of challengers for Saurav. Also a salute to both the players as they agreed to end the game yesterday itself and played under fading lights.
Final Score: Deepan beat Aakash: 6-7, 6-2, 6-4

Today's Upcoming Action:
Mr. Achilles, Saurav, has his day out on the courts again today as he takes on, Saurabh Gupta for his second, round 1, single's clash. Buoyant with his earlier victories and the class that he is, Saurav, should have good one. As for his opponent Saurabh, has been playing great shots these days, he has been practicing hard. An aggressive serve and good hard shots means, he is in the reckoning. So will it be a whitewash or will Saurabh spring a surprise on Saurav..........All I can say is Saurabh has nothing to lose.

Scattered T-Storms is what our Weather man has to forecast for today. Let us hope the Rain Gods have mercy on us today as well..........



06/26/2008 (Vikram)
The Tennis Tourney is back and so am I and our weather man (Thanx to Venky and Aakash). This Tennis season has been characterized by one word "NEW". New organizers, new format for the tourney (round robin matches), new players and new racquets. Speaking of new racquets here are some facts for you, we had only 3, 80$ racquets last year. This year with stakes being high, the list has grown something like this. It started with Vikas(100$), Vikram(90$) and Viral(90$) (a coincidental alliteration). They were soon followed by Aakash and Shubha (60$ each) and there is a list of prospective buyers as the grapevine suggests names like Girish and Gaurav (atleast these are the people I know of).
Now coming to the action on the court, here's what happened over the weekend:

Saurav-Venkat vs Prashant-Shallex:
The Defending Champs Saurav-Venkat have teamed up again this year, much to the disappointment of their rivals. The game proceeded with Mr.Achillies (Saurav if you have forgotten) and Venkat dominating the proceedings but not without hiccups. Both the teams seemed a bit rusty as Saurav took time to get his rhythm, Venky not performing to his fullest and Mr,Prashant (has he put on some weight this year) not as effective. My hero of the day was Mr.New; Shallex. He seemed quite aggressive at the net and hit some good shots......The Champions though, prevailed, to take the match 6-3, 6-3 in straight sets
Final Score: Saurav-Venkat beat Prashant-Shallex: 6-3, 6-3

Dilip-Rakesh vs Gaurav-Kaushal:
Even before this clash, our Cool Dudes, Rakesh and Dilip had already entered the quarter finals of Detroit Open 06, but they did not intend to take it easy. When facing the stylish Kaushal and amateur Gaurav, the cool dudes showed no mercy. They blasted their way in the first set with a 6-1 win, and went on take the 2nd one 6-3. Kaushal had some good services up his sleeve but an over excited display at the net, left Gaurav singing "Main hoon na.... " . Although Kaushal and Gaurav attempted a fightback in the second set, there was no stopping the Cool Dudes juggernaut. After winning all their league matches, Cool Dudes are placed comfortably in the Quarter finals. An aggressive Rakesh has been the characteristic of their wins, some kinda inspiration at work.
Final Score: Dilip-Rakesh beat Gaurav-Kaushal: 6-1, 6-3

Krishna Beri vs Jeevan:
Yet another guy under the spell of inspiration, Krishna Beri survived an initial onslaught from Jeevan. Jeevan who has come under some friendly criticism in his doubles loss with partner Praveen, took it a bit too seriously. he fought back from 5-3 down in the first set to level it to 6-6, The tie breaker saw Krishna dominating with a 7-0, fetched him the set 7-6. Since then Jeevan seemed down and out and lost the second set 3-6.
Final Score: Krishna Beri beat Jeevan: 7-6, 6-3

Parag-Deepan vs Suraaj-Shashwath:
The runners Maratha pair of Deepan-Parag took no time or pressure in crushing their opposition. The runner up pair of the last year, the Marathas dominated in every dept of the game and were helped by many unforced errors from their potentially competitive opposition. The cries of 'Jai Maharashtra' hailed from the skies as Parag-Deepan won 6-1, 6-1. Shash needs to get his Indian inspiration working :-)
Final Score: Parag-Deepan beat Suraaj-Shashwath: 6-1, 6-1

Aakash-Shubha vs Viru-Subhash:
An exciting 3-setter for round 1, saw the 2 teams with a passion for action, put up a great show. As a characteristic of this game, The Bengal Tigers roared initially, to take a set lead of 5-2 but soon after our Sholay duo (Jay-Viru) caught on to level the set 6-6, The tie breaker saw the nervous tigers go down 7-3 to lose the set 7-6. The second set seemed to follow the first with the Tigers leading 5-2 initially but they found themselves being hunted again at 5-4. The Tigers held their nerves this time, to take the set 6-4. Amidst a lot of disturbance and hot action, it was the Umpires who faced perhaps more pressure than the players themselves. Saurabh got emotional and cried out in respect and support for all tennis referees till date. The lights went dim in the third set with the 2 teams tied at 2 games each. This match would continue on Monday, June 27th
Current Score: Aakash-Shubha vs Viru-Subhash: 6-7, 6-4, 2-2

Today's upcoming action:
Apart from the continuation of Friday's double's match, the Courts will witness a classic duel today as Rakesh takes on Diwakar in their first singles encounter. This would be a game to watch, since Rakesh's abilities as a player have come to the fore front only this year. It would be interesting to see how he plays without Dilip by his side. As for Diwakar, he has a good temperament, but will that be enough.....

Weather man forecasts scattered thunderstorms in the evening today, I hope they don't hover over the Tennis Courts. So be there to support your teams or players for Detroit Open 2006

Important Note: Please let me know if I am cluttering your mail boxes by replying to this mail (Not a reply to all). I would ensure that further mails don't reach you.


06/23/2006 (Aakash)
Saurav vs Vikram : Saurav won 6-2, 6-0.
This is one of those games that the loser gets more publicity for losing. I had the opportunity to speak to Vikram at lunch - he said 'its not about the result, its about fighting for each point'.Parag and I quipped in ' atleast win a point' , Shubha added in the background "shortest tennis match". Shut up critics ! I did meet Prashant after I joined in - Vikram actually broke Saurav's service in the first game . Prashant commented " but it was as if saurav himself broke his serve by having 2 double faults". Prashant told me later that Vikram really played well - unlike many of us who thought that it would be a whitewash.
Saurav won the match eventually.

Rakesh/Dilip vs Saurabh/Vikas :Rakesh/Dilip won 6-3,6-1.
In another eventful match - (Saurabh comments - hardly eventful from behind me as I write this ) - Rakesh/Dilip continued there winning streak. Dilip was all smiles after the game. Continuing from last evening , Rakesh/Dilip went onto win the match 6-3,6-1.The thing to watch was Vikas' new racquet - the costliest in the tournament so far.
We are sure Vikas/Saurabh would come out big in their next games.

Prakash/Girish : Girish won 6-3,6-2.
Another interesting match which I could not experience, but heard people talking about. Prakash - Pakiya as he is better known to the junta - was available for comments."We bowled well...fielded well - but they won the match". I tried hearing it from pakiya and the truth came out " woh achha khela yaar" - and then he bent his neck twice to the right and twice towards the left. Hence Proved.
My gym-partner won the game - the 45 mnt workout at the treadmill at chrysler helped ! (not that he had to run much in the game )

From the editor's desk :
Inspite of all the matches , last evenings highlight was Narasimha Pai's entry to the court. We missed the cheerleaders singing "the P " , " the A" and " the I". - Welcome PAI.. His first entry this summer. In a practice match , Pai/Suchit beat Shubha/me 6-2.Suchit was injured while playing the tie-break in the last set - we are yet to see whether out IPATS-Tiger is able to play this evening.
Also on the far end of the court was Viru and Subhas - who are scheduled to play shubha and me on saturday evening.
Todays upcoming matches - Kaushal (yes bhailog..Kaushal as in Kaushal Khatri ) teams up with Gaurav to play Rakesh/Dilip.
In a 2nd match , Suchit and Pai play Shashwath - Suraaj.
Saturday evening : Viru/Subhas play shubha/Aakash. Not sure if a new racquet will improve my game - but I'll buy it anyhow.


06/19/2006 (Aakash)
What a Start to the Detroit Open !

A 3-setter in game 1 between rakesh/dilip and praveen/jeevan. rakesh/dilip won the game 4-6,6-4,6-3.
The game started with Praveen taking control of the court - swinging the set along with jeevan to a 6-4. Jeevan's game was worth mentioning here - he has improved considerably in the last 2 months - and played some good shots from the net.
Rakesh and dilip pulled it off from there. Though dilip was initially concerned about the sun and the tanning (we heard he is going to india - and does not want to turn dark before it! ) - his game improved. Alongwith Rakesh - who was awesome in front of the net - the 2nd set was decided.
Score : 4-6,6-4.
By this time our onsite junta covered the courts - and we could hear people shouting, booing , commenting ! That was the proof - the tournament has begun.The 3rd set went to a 3-3.Tensions high - umpires(venkat and shash) kept it cool . Rakesh and Dilip took the break from here - and went onto win the game 6-3.
Final Score : Rakesh/Dilip won 4-6, 6-4,6-3.
What was rakesh doing 10 mnts before the game ? Seems a job broke down in one of our Fleet systems at 6pm - instead of warming up for the game - he fixed the issue and then went to the court. !

But let me tell you this - whoever thought they will win a game easily this year , might need to re-evaluate their strategy. Its going to be tough this year.

Wednesday's games:
Rakesh/Dilip vs Saurabh/Vikas
Jeevan vs Venkat
Prakash vs Girish

You dont need an invite on wednesday , do you - needless to say its going to be fun? Games start at 6-30pm.

And Oh ! the Project party is scheduled at metro beach park this sunday . Rains ? We will take that risk ! Information to follow.

Cheers !

Organizing Committee - Detroit Open 2006.

06/18/2006 (Aakash)
Good Morning .

400 Tennis balls, 300 Gatorades , 24 players , 91 F - The tennis tournament has begun . A Whopping 72 matches in the next few weeks.
The groups have been formed , the matches would be scheduled - the games start this wednesday. An initial plethora of double faults , crazy hits , tired players - as the tournament progresses - you would see more of aces, crosscourts and accurate shots being played.

In the attached spreadsheet you would find the groups.

Singles: We have divided 24 players into 8 groups who play league matches with each other. Top two players from each group advance to Round 2. From Round 2 onwards , we start our knockout phase of 16 players.

Doubles :We have divided 13 teams into 3 teams of 5,4 and 5. 3 teams advance from groups having 5 teams , 2 teams advance from groups having 4 teams - thereby giving us 8 teams for the quarter finals. From the Quarters - we start our knockout phase.

Draws:The draws were held at Venkat's place at 5:30pm. Diwakar , Shashwath,Deepan, Rakesh, Shubha were present to witness the selection of groups which was done on a random basis.

Schedules: .We are aware of the domain exams, project party - so we would try to place the games working thru these dates. In doubles - Group B - We would begin our games this evening , as Dilip is leaving for India on 29th June. If any team/players have issues with any dates - please let us know by Monday EOD. On Monday , we would send you the schedule of the games from the 21st June till the begining of the long weekend - with 72 matches it would be hard for us to reschedule.

Clash of the Titans : Sampath has signed up to play one game in the tennis tournament. We would have a match where Sampath would play with one of us. Details coming up shortly.

Registration Fees : 10 for singles , and 10 per player in a doubles team. Please sign up with Dilip Kalra/ Venkat Sahai/ Parag Rao at the earliest.

06/12/2006 (Venkat)
For all of you who forgot, it's time to play tennis again! Yes, the tennis tournament is happening this time too. And on a
bigger scale :-). We know you have been practicing hard, so let the competition spirit soar!

So gear up all tennis enthusiasts. If you are interested in playing singles or doubles then mail me back by Thursday June 15th.
Let us know your double's partner (or absence of the same) too. The entry fees for singles/doubles would be around $10 for each. The exact
amount would depend on the number of entries.

The following are the main features to watch out for!
1. Instead of knock-out from the word go, we would have league matches in round-1.
2. The prize money would be intimated before the first match.
3. The matches would start from June 26
4. Women singles/doubles tournament would depend on number of entries received.
5. More details to follow once the number of entries are finalized.
So don't wait for the deadline date of Thursday. Rush your entries now!

(Contact me or Shashwath for more details)

Get.. Set.. Go!!

It's that part of year again when my skin color gets more black. Yes, it's possible! Around 1.5 hours of tennis everyday is enough to bring the change. And it takes hard work of Michigan winter to make the color a bit light. Anyway this post is not about my skin color, so no comments appreciated for that ;-)

The tennis tournament organized last year was a huge hit, as were Vikram's match updates. The magic would be relived this year, and on a bigger scale. We learnt a few lessons last time around. So hopefully tournament would be organized on a more elaborate scale. Compared to knock-out matches of last time, we would have league matches in 1st round. That would ensure atleast 3 or 4 matches even for a weak player. Also, the people are getting better at playing. That too should make the matches more interesting. (Although I can't complain much as I won the doubles tourney with Saurav as my partner :-))

Apart from tennis many small small things are happening. I am going to UK on this 30th. Would be with Big B for full week. That sure would be nice! Might get to meet Vineesh too. That would be an added bonus :-). Kapahi would be coming to US in July. Would get to meet that bugger after more than 1.5 years! He has got admission for MS in Iowa University. Work for ASHA is again on a go. We recently organized a semi-classical concert. It was a good event and generated good funds. Now work is going on for 5K Walk/Run event in August. There is a positive recognition for the work we are doing. People are listening to us and are contributing in anyway possible. That's always a good thing :-). The journey with ASHA has been more rewarding than I expected. Might even get to listen to Sandeep Pandey this weekend! What more could I ask for.

Victory!!

I was bored by the tennis tournament posts.. So this is the last one. And this one is by me (earlier were by Vikram). The good news is that I won the doubles :). The final was against Deepan and Parag. They gave us good fight, but I guess our (me and Saurav) was just better. Plus we had the psychological edge, as Saurav was my partner. He has come to be known as 'Achilles'!! No wonder he won the Singles too!! But hey hey, dont you dare think that I didnt play any part in the victory!! ;-). And just for the record we won, 6-3, 6-4.

I have tormented my friends enough by filling up my blog just by tennis updates for so long. So here comes something different. I am going to India in Dec for 3 weeks. I am real excited for the visit!! It would happen after 13 months away from home. Anyway stay in US has been ok. The winter has started, so its stay at home season now. Well I guess I have roamed around enough. But I have started planning for my next visit :). I am planning to visit UK. My brother is working there, so it will be nice to spend some time with him. His US visit was too short, and I didnt get much time to spend with him. In addition we kept on watching FRIENDS. Yes, he is as hooked to it as me. But his visit left me emotionally weak. Good thing is that visit to home is just a month away. Then again in 6 months I will be off to UK. So things should get better now :)

Tennis Tournament Day-18

The Day 16 of the tourney saw the first contender in the final line up, for the singles encounter as the 'Mortal Combat' claimed a brutal victim. Here is the update.

Saurav vs Vijay:
There were very high expectations from this game as both Vijay and Saurav looked strong. But the 'NO MERCY' logo was still evident on Saurav's jersey as he took no time and effort to crush his opponent. I think Saurav has taken the our compliment pretty seriously, he does not want to be second, he wants to be 'The Achilles', the greatest and ruthless warrior to walk on this earth. For the match, Saurav outclassed Vijay in all departments of the game, be it service, be it returns, be it long rallies. Moreover Saurav was able to induce a lot of spin in his shots. It seemed as if, he was finger spinning the ball. Moreover his placements were very accurate, he made it very difficult for Vijay to even reach the ball, and if Vijay did so, the spin would play havoc with Vijay's return. In the entire match Vijay had only one game point and that too was taken by Saurav in deuce. But no discredit to Vijay, he had fought his way hard into the semis. Congratulations to Saurav for making it to the second final (doubles as well as singles) and we can hear the Greeks cheering, Achilles, Achilles, Achilles, Achilles,..................................

Final scoresheet: Saurav beat Vijay: 6-0,6-0

Today's Upcoming Action:
In 'Mortal Combat' for today, it is the clash of room mates, a platform to settle all the bathroom and kitchen squabbles, as Suchit-Pai clash against the Maratha duo of Parag-Deepan. The closest rivals of all time, these guys practise against each other almost every day and we haven't seen 2 teams so closely matched. Our prediction for the day is expect a gruelling 3-setter. Again for some news from the grape vine, we hear that both the teams have had their own one on one sessions to discuss strategies and more than that, there was an evilous silence in the house yesterday night, as some kind of strategies were being cooked .......... lagta hai poori daal hi kaali hai ......... :-) So be there guys to watch this entertaining 'Muqabla'.

Mr.Weather Man is a bit sad, as he has only a few days of job left, but still he predicts a nice weather for today with temp around the 80 deg and partly cloudy skies. It is going to sweltering as the relative humidity is to stay above 60% for most of the time and the sun sets at 8.17pm. And oh, the Weather Man has been courteous enough to give a traffic update as well. The entry to the tennis courts from Bloomfield Villas was closed in the morning, you might have to use Squirrel Road to reach the courts or else you might as well like to walk down, what say health freaks..................

Tennis Tournament Day-17

Welcome to the updates for Day 17 of the Tennis Tourney as the Mortal Combat took it's first victim.

Venkat-Saurav vs Subhash-Viru:
As per expectations this match started on a tough note when the first game went for a deuce. Viru kept his service and the Sholay duo took the game. As the match progressed from here on, there were some good hard hits, as both the teams are known to be aggressive. Both Subhash and Saurav are aggressive and agile players at the net. There were a few rallies in between which the ball did not bounce, it was a racquet to racquet rally. Moreover a ball hit to Saurav or Subhash would end the point then and there itself. As both of them got their placements right and hit back hard. But it seemed the Sholay boys had the edge as they went on to lead the first set 2-1 but soon enough our Achilles came to form and Venkat-Saurav were leading 3-2. At 4-4 in the first set, Venkat-Saurav were able to break through Viru-Subhash and took the set 6-4. From then on there was no looking back for them as Venkat-Saurav took 5 games in a row to take a convincing lead in the 2nd set 5-0. Subhash-Viru gave a last ditch attempt and took one game but that was just not enough. A Heartiest Congratulations to the winning team for they make it to the finals of the tourney ........... sahi hai bhidu..

Final Result: Venkat-Saurav beat Subhash-Viru: 6-4,6-1

Today's Upcoming Action:
The Indian inspiration needs to work big time today as Vijay faces the Mighty Achilles, Saurav. Again, 2 contrasting styles of play, Saurav, aggressive, fast and agile and Vijay Mr.Slow but consistent. In all his singles games till now, Saurav has the distinction of not losing more than 2 games per match. Will Vijay be able to break this jinx, will he be able to hit the Achilles heel. Or atleast can he put up a respectable fight like 'Hector', be there at 6pm to witness this amazing encounter.

SORRY!!!

I know these Tennis tournament updates have been killing everyone. But this tournament is talk of the month here! So please bear with me. Plus I am winning!, so its but obvious that I am excited about it :)
Yes, me and Surav won todays semi-final encounter against top seeds Subhash and Viru. So we are all set to play the finals on coming Wednesday. Wish us luck :)
Lots of exciting things are actually happening. As the summer is coming to an end, we are trying to make the most of it. That explains our roaming out almost each weekend, playing tennis almost daily. And to add to all this, I am very busy work-wise too. There is no free time!! I feel sleepy in office daily now, but alas I cant :(. Anyway this was a quick update from my side, hope it alleviates somebit of your anger :)
Almost forgot: I will be joining the DCX softball team for my Director. This too promises to be a lot of fun. Also joined ASHA Detroit, but no contribution timewise as of now. Hoping to get a little free before I plunge into some work for others for a change ;-). Obviously the inspiration for this is Kaddu. And for tennis its Kutty. Hoping to learn enough to give him a good fight once I am back in Swades!!

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.

Tennis Tournament - Day 15

Welcome to the Day 15 of the Tourney. Mahasangraam saw two more exciting matches yesterday. Here is the update.

Vijay vs Shashwath:
This one was yet another 3 setter as Shashwath put back his first set defeat to take on the second set. Stylish Vijay started off from where he had left in his first round match. There were slow and long rallies where accuracy mattered more than the pace. Shashwath tried putting the ball on all the places in Vijay's court but Vijay ran hard and returned almost everything thrown at him by Shash. Moreover Shashwath committed a lot of unforced errors. Vijay took the first set 6-4 but Shashwath took the second 6-4. Only 4 games could be completed for the third set after which bad light was called by the Umpires.

Scores till now: Vijay vs Shash: 6-4,4-6,3-1.

Saurav vs Deepan:
Deepan a tired player after his arduous match with Shubha, seemed to be no match to the class of the Achilles. Moreover there were unpredictable winds which seemed to change direction almost every second. Saurav returned everything thrown at him by the Maratha and treated him some immaculate placement for which Deepan had no answer. Deepan was able to take 2 games against him though but well that did not seem to be enough. Saurav won the game in straight sets.

Final Result: Saurav beat Deepan: 6-1,6-1

Today's Upcoming Action:
Today we'll be treated with 3 exciting encounters. Subhash and Prashant face off to continue their match from the 3rd set, the scores are tied at 6-3,3-6.
Vijay and Shashwath will continue their encounter today, hope the Indian inspiration works today.

There were rains earlier today so the courts could be wet but the sun is out now and the courts could dry soon. Strong storms are forecasted for 6 pm today followed by partly cloudy skies later. Temperature to remain around 85 deg and high winds. The sun sets at 8.26 pm today.

Tennis Tournament - Day 14

Day 14 of the tourney, proved our prophecies about tough encounters in Mahasangraam right. We could hear this name raging around the court, like an 'Aakashwaani'. Here are the updates.

Deepan vs Shubha:
There are times in sports history, where both opposing players/teams, raise their game to such a level where winning or losing becomes secondary to the quality of the game they display. We as spectators then speculate, why should some one lose, why can't both be the winners. This encounter was a demonstration of this and it was a privilege to watch this game. Deepan and Shubha started from where they had left with scores of 2-6, 4-2. The second set was taken by Deepan 6-3 but that was just the beginning. Shubha fought hard in the first 2 games of set 3, against an opposing wind to win both of them. As the courts changed the Tiger got the advantageous side and won 2 more games. All this while, he had to face some hard hits and accurate placements from the Maratha. Thus the Tiger was leading 4-0 in the third set. At precisely this point Deepan unleashed his deadly game. Amidst long and tiring rallies, Deepan took 3 games on a trot. Even playing against the wind, he was able to hit powerful shots. At 4-3 the set looked evenly balanced. Then the longest game of the match began with Shubha to serve. We had 9 deuces and the advantages shared equally by both the players at 4 each. Shubha took the game finally but he had lost a lot of energy serving almost 24 times in that game. At 3-5 it was Deepan to serve to save the match, he took the game and the scores were at 5-4. Spirited Shubha, served for the match and got one match point but his weariness was evident. He lost the game and the set was even at 5-5. Deepan then got his reserve energies to play and took the set and the match 7-5. Finally, yes, there has to be a winner and there has to be a loser. For Shubha he fought like a tiger, not only against a tough opponent but also against an aching back and shoulder. For Deepan it was a hard fought victory, it was evident in his victory leap after the match. DVD coaching put to test ............. hmmmm.............. :-) .Hats off to both of you. A special thanx to Shubha for playing on the scheduled date against physical difficulties, respecting the schedules.

Final Result:: Deepan beat Shubha: 2-6,6-3,7-5.

Suchit-Pai vs Suraaj-Shashwath:
In yet another excitng encounter yesterday, Suchit-Pai were pitted against Shashwath-Suraaj. Suchit-Pai lived to their reputation initially and took a 3-0 lead in the first set, but Suraaj-Shashwath fought back to level the set 3-3. Then each team took one game at a time. There were long rallies, hard hits and volleys, as both the teams were fighting hard. At 5-5 in the first set, Suchit-Pai, broke through Suraaj-Shashwath to win a cliff-hanger of a set 7-5. There were some costly mistakes at crucial times from Suraaj-Shashwath which costed them the set. But so also was the net game of both Suchit and Pai. Both the players were agile at the net and snatched points from there opponents. The second set saw a bit more domination from Suchit-Pai but the fight was still on with the second set changing from a 4-0 lead for Suchit-Pai to 5-4. Amidst some great action to cap off the match Suraaj-Shashwath fought back a few match points but Suchit-Pai clinged on to win the match.

Final Result: Suchit-Pai beat Suraaj-Shashwath: 7-5, 6-4

Today's Upcoming Action:
In the first game for today, it will be the Stylish Vijay Ratthinam to face Shashwath Shetty in their singles match Shashwath beat Girish and Vijay beat American Pai in their round 1 matches. On the Center Court we heard someone saying 'Shash no big deal, look who I defeated in round 1, American Pai...'

The clash of the Titans continues as The Great Maratha Deepan meets The Achilles, Saurav. Deepan again a buoyant soul after his win yesterday, but has the fight at the back of his mind. Saurav is Mr.Confident after his 2 consecutive victories but this time the opponent is tougher.

Tennis Tournament - Day 13

Some of the best clashes of the Mahasangraam were witnessed yesterday, on the Day 13, of the Tourney. 3 doubles teams have already made their way to the semifinals, one match today will decide the complete semifinal line up for the tourney. Here are the updates for the yesterday's games.

Saurav-Venkat vs Aakash-Shubha:
The Bengal Tigers are finally hunted down, as their dream run in the tourney, has ended with a defeat at the hands of 'The Achilles' and his 'Myrmidon'. But this was not without a fierce battle. The Tigers had a game plan, they stuck to it and were able to draw the first blood. They were leading 3-0 in the first set, when the tables turned upside down. Saurav-Venkat overwhelmed the Tigers by a continuous 9 game winning streak. They took the first set 6-3 and were leading the second 3-0. All of a sudden both Saurav and Venkat had found their touch while their opponents lost it. The Tigers did not recover from there and it was a straight sets victory for the Saurav-Venkat. Take from this game, there are chinks in Achilles' Armor, but can someone find them.

Final Results: Saurav-Venkat beat Aakash Shubha: 6-3,6-2.

Subhash vs Prashant:
This one was yet another match to watch, as players with contrasting styles and an amazing will to win, faced each other. Both the players kept losing their services initially and the scores were tied at 2-2. At this moment Subhash won 2 games at a stretch and drew the first blood by winning the set 6-3. Apart from the aggressive services by Subhash, there were long rallies which used to go on for more than a minute. Prashant was able to reply some of the most aggressive shots from Subhash, which frustrated the latter. The rallies used to end with one person making a fatal error. This is Prashant's style of play, he was able make Subhash run on the court. As opposed to this Subhash loves to hit a few decisive shots to seal the point. Prashant soon made Subhash play on his terms and took the second set 6-3. At this point the Umpires took a call to continue the match later due to bad light. This is the 2nd, 3 setter of the tourney and above all it is a singles game.

Scores till now: Subhash vs Prashant: 6-3,3-6

Today's upcoming action:
In the first game for the day, it will be Suchit and American Pai taking on Shashwath and Suraaj. Both the teams have had comfortable round 1 matches with straight sets victory on their opponents. Suchit-Pai is yet another strong team but their untested opponents are equally matched as well. Suraaj plays well at the nets and Shashwath can serve fast (need to get it more accurate though). This will be an interesting one.

In the second game of the day, the match between our Bengal Tiger Shubha and Deepan continues the scores currently stand at 6-2, 2-4. This is going to be an interesting one as we might have a prospect of third set..

Tennis Tournament - Day 12

Welcome to the updates for Day 12 of the tennis tourney. The Mahasangraam, took toll on one more team yesterday and the winners made their way to the semifinals. Here is the update.

Subhash-Viru vs Sanjay-Prakash:
Sanjay-Prakash, before the start of the tournament, were rated as the Underdogs or Average Joes, but they showed their mettle when they handed over a humiliating defeat to VIkram-Viral. Yesterday they were pitted against one of the best in the Center court, but they showed a lot of character and courage. Each point was a fight and each game a struggle. There were rallies where all the players were running throughout the court. But, for Sanjay-Prakash their opponents were far too good. Viru-Subhash won most of these close fought points and kept their heads up. They broke almost all the services from their opponents and kept their own services. This resulted in a straight sets victory for the Sholay duo and secured their semifinal berth.

Final Result: Subhash-Viru beat Sanjay-Prakash: 6-1.6-1

Today's upcoming action:
Today we have 2 games lined up in Mahasangraam. In the first one it is the Bengal Tigers Aakash-Shubha pitted against the formidable duo of Venkat-Saurav in their round 2 doubles match. Aakash and Shubha had a tough round 1 match, it was the first and only 3 setter of the tourney till now. But since then Shubha is going great guns, he has improved his game a lot and given his opponents a run for their money. Aakash seems to be low on practice but he should be able come into his own soon enough. As for Saurav-Venkat, it is the Achilles and his Myrmidon, they have subdued their round 1 opponents without losing a single game, so will the Tigers be the Hunters or the hunted, let time decide.

In the 2nd action for the day the classy and technical Prashant faces the agile and energetic Subhash in their round 2 singles encounter. Both of them are good players and each one has his own strengths/weakness. They have contrasting styles of play as Subhash is more aggressive and attacking whereas Prashant is Mr. Cool , Mr. Slow but Mr. Consistent.

Weather Man forecasts partly cloudy skies with temperatures around 78 deg. Humidity is around 58% and importantly the sun sets at 8.31 pm.

Tennis Tournament - Day 11

It is a privilige to provide you the details for round 2. Yesterday marked the start of the Mahasangraam and it showed it's flavours. The Day 11 of the Tennis Tourney saw some of the toughest matches yet. Here is the update.

Saurav vs Parag:
Yesterday saw the fall of one more warrior to the Mighty Achilles but this time not without a tough fight. Parag fought valiantly against his mighty competitor and was able to break Saurav's dominating streak. Parag won 2 games against him. This is the first time in the tourney that Saurav has lost any game. The scoresheet shows a dominant win for Saurav but we have seen him sweating and gasping on the court. There were many games which went into deuces and many hard fought rallies. Many points which took our breath away. Both the players were slicing the ball so well that we felt as if they were 'finger spinning' the ball. Saurav stayed cool all through, he did not rush into his shots and did seem to be in a hurry. But he was hitting hard as and when required. Some good volleys, dropshots and some exquisite placement from Saurav won him the match.

Final Result: Saurav beat Parag: 6-0,6-2

Shubha vs Deepan:
Some predators make their prey run and tire before pouncing for the kill. We saw our Bengal Tiger, Shubha doing it all through the match. His placments made Deepan run the entire court end to end and forced him into mistakes. Shubha himself was going great guns and did his part of the running too, but Shubha has a powerful backhand and his placements with the backhand were immaculate as well. The first was dominated by Shubha and he took it 6-2. The second set saw the Maratha coming into his own. Deepan started hitting shots he is known to hit and reduced is unforced errors. He was leading the second set 4-1 and all of a sudden the tables seemed to have turned on Shubha. This game though had to be discontinued due to bad light.

Score as now:Shubha vs Deepan: 6-2,2-4 match to be continued later

Today's Upcoming Action:
In the lone game for today, it will be Sanjay-Prakash against the Sholay duo Viru-Subhash(Jay). Over a period of 2 weeks Sanjay and Prakash have improved their game. Prakash has found a new agility and has started playing well at the net. Sanjay on the other hand has discovered a new and consistent first serve. Both of them can hit the ball hard. For Subhash-Viru are one of the best rated teams for this tourney but I think they have a fight on their hand.

Weather man predicts scattered showers for today with temperatures around 80 degrees. The sunsets at 8.33pm today so guys please be on time for the match.

Tennis Tournament Day-9

Parag-Deepan vs Girish-Prashant:
Day 9 turned out to be a day of white washes with one team devastating the other. This one was no exception as the Maratha Power reigned supreme. Parag and Deepan had their combination and strategy going right from the word go. They took the first set 6-0 without any pains or fight back. We don't recall any games going into deuces. Soon enough defeat was evident in the body language of Girish and Prashant. But Parag and Deepan also started playing casually, they handed over one game to Girish-Prashant but took the set 6-1 to clinch the match.

Final result: Parag-Deepan beat Girish-Prashant: 6-0,6-1

Saurav-Venkat vs Vijay-Krishna:
In the other white wash of the day, Saurav-Venkat destroyed the challenge from Vijay-Krishna. In just 2 matches of the tourney, Bihari Babu Saurav has earned the reputation of 'The Achilles'. He has the pace, he has the strength, the agility, the stamina and above all the consistency. Moreover he has the Killer Instinct and he is ruthless on his opponents. I felt as if his jersey read NO MERCY. This was his second dominating performance, this time in a doubles game though. As for Venkat all that can be said is that this lad has been practising with 'The Achilles' himself and has developed into a great player. The duo won this match in straight sets without losing a single game.

Final result: Saurav-Venkat beat Vijay-Krishna: 6-0,6-0

Today's upcoming action:
The day of Indian Independence marks the start of round 2 for the tourney which we would like to call the 'Mahasangraam'. With round 1 eliminating the weak links it is now a tussle between the 'Maharathis' to fight for a berth in the semifinals.
In the first of our action for the day, the Peshwa Raosaaheb Parag fights the mighty Achilles, Saurav. We don't think more words are needed for Saurav. As for Parag he is a player of character with great temperament. He can stay cool in demanding situations and give a good fight. But the question is will he be able to hit the 'Achilles' Heel'.
In the second but more intriguing battle, it's again the turn of our Bengal Tiger Shubha who is up against the Great Maratha Deepan. Shubha dominated his singles round one encounter against Sanjay. He is player of courage and accurate placement. He has some strategies up his sleeve too. Deepan is Mr Consistent, Mr.TextBook ........... ab err ......... Mr DVD .......... :-) . His shots are powerful and he can slice and spin the tennis ball. This is going to be an interesting one.

Partly Cloudy skies will look down on the Mahasangraam today with the temperatures around 75 deg. It is going to be a pleasant and not so humid weather with the relative humidity around 50%. Weather man says all is well if it doesn't rain.

Article by Vikram Tungare

Tennis Tournament Day-8

Suraaj-Shashwath vs Algy-Dhiraj:
This turned out to be a good contest. Shashwath served for the first game and the fight began. Shashwath was serving the fastest amongst the 4, but the Old Foxes were successful in returning the ball out of his reach. Moreover he forced himself into a number of double faults. The first set went along with the scores tied at 3-3. At this point Shash came into his own and started covering the whole court, on the baseline. He was ably supported by Suraaj at the net. Suraaj started getting his drop shots right. He made both Dheeraj and Algy run for their shots. The young duo took the set 6-3. In the second set both Algy and Dhiraj tried to put up a fight but the splendor of the youth prevailed. Shashawath double faulted in the 8th game to make the scores 5-3 but by then it was too late, and Suraaj-Shashwath broke in the very next game to win the match.

Final scoresheet: Suraaj-Shashwath beat Algy-Dhiraj: 6-3,6-3.

Shubha vs Sanjay:
This game saw a total domination by the Bengal Tiger. After the first set was tied at 1 game each, Shubha took six games in a row to take the first set 6-1 and lead the second 1-0. Whatever fightback Sanjay had to give came in the 2nd set, he took 3 games in this one. But one interesting statistic says that Sanjay could not hold on to his serve. He lost all the games he had served for and the hence the result was obvious. Shubha took the second set 6-3 to seal the fate for Sanjay.

Final scoresheet: Shubha beat Sanjay: 6-1,6-3

Deepan vs Viru:
If you think we were stingy with our words for the earlier matches here is the reason. This match was an absolute cracker. The players were equally matched. They both played some classic tennis and as if from a rule book, they refrained from playing shots above six feet. This game had all the elements, great service, long rallies, amazing placements and equally amazing returns. Young people learning tennis could have a taken a lot out of this game. As described earlier it was the clash of Titans and a merciless draw forced one of them out of the tourney in round one itself. It was Viru who had to bow out after some consistent and amazing display by the Great Maratha. I think someone was helped by watching the DVD .... kyon Deepan....

Final Scoresheet: Deepan beat Viru: 6-3, 6-3

Today's upcoming action:
Today we have 2 doubles encounters. It will be a an immense powerplay as the Marathas, Parag-Deepan take on the young Carnatic duo of Girish - Prashant. Parag and Deepan is another formidable combination of thie tourney and when they get their acts together, one can only expect the best. On the other hand, Prashant has a singles victory on his mind while Girish is all set to survive this tournament through doubles.
On the other side of the field, Vijay-Krishna take over Venkat-Saurav. Vijay-Krishna seem to be a perfect pair with a steady baseline player VIjay and aggressive Krishna. But beware, those who witnessed Saurav conquering the singles first round match, would surely have to think twice before competing him. To add to this, its Venkat with his powerful and quick reflexes. It is surely going to be a match to watch.

Weather could play a spoil sport today, as our Weather Man cautions, scattered thunderstorms for the evening. Temperature's around 88 deg F and it is going to be humid with 67 % relative humidity and the sun sets today at 8.38 pm today.

Articly By Vikram Tungare