Local boy Ramkumar Ramanathan is centre of attention

Chennai: Ramkumar Ramanathan of Tamil Nadu fulfilled the wishes of his supporters as he stormed into the main draw of the Chennai Open after defeating Slovakia’s Norbert Gombos 7-6 (3), 3-6, 6-3 in a nerve-wracking match.

A delighted Ramkumar knows that it is only a job half done as he has to continue his hard work to get past some big names in the main draw. “I was very confident of winning this qualifier. I played a good first set and my hunger to win every point paid off,” he said.

The Chennai boy had the full-throated backing of the crowd that also included India’s new Davis Cup captain Anand Amritraj. “He has improved a lot since I last saw him a few years ago. It is good that he is making full use of the training facilities available these days,” he said.

Leander Paes, too, had some encouraging words for Ramkumar. “I saw Ramkumar first at the national grasscourt championship in South Club, Kolkata, earlier this year and there is improvement in his game. His stint with coach Nandan Bal has worked for him as he practises with a different set of players. Playing with a variety of players is important to be successful,” he said.

Ramkumar attributed his win to the ample rest he had last night. “I had muscle stiffness after my last game. I had a physiotherapy session and had enough sleep which rejuvenated me for the final round of qualifiers. I’m raring to go and want to make an impact in the main draw,” he said.

The youngster, who is high on confidence after entering the main draw with three back-to-back wins, would like to play many challenger tournaments and train hard in Spain.