Shivani triumphant

 

Harsha was the firm favourite to win the match but Shivani showed her class in a match of three sets to emerge a 6-7, 6-2, 6-2 victorious.

Both players started the first set on a not-so-bright note as they could not hold onto their serves for three games. The next three games saw both the players hold onto their serves and it eventually went to the tie-breaker. Harsha dominated the tie-breaker and clinched the set 7-6.

 

Not to be bogged down, Shivani showed great determination as she took a 2-0 lead in the second set. Harsha came back to win two games but Shivani broke Harsha’s serve in the seventh game. She continued her dominance and took the set 6-2.

 

In the decider, Shivani started from where she left as she broke Harsha’s serve in the first and third games to take a 3-0 lead. Just when it looked Harsha was down and out, she came out all guns blazing and broke Shivani’s serve in the fourth game and later held onto to her serve to take the score to 2-3. 

 

But all the resistance of Harsha was short-lived. Shivani raised the tempo when it was needed and won the next three games to clinch the set, and with it, the match. 

In the boys’ singles final, top seed Siddanth Bhatia of Maharashtra defeated Karnataka’s A. Vannem Reddy in straight sets 6-2, 6-3. 

 

Right from the start, Siddanth played well and won the first set 6-2. The second set saw both players fighting hard but Vannem ran out of steam after winning three games as Siddanth clinched it 6-3.