Fenesta Open: Nikki, Zeel crowned National Champions
New Delhi: Nikki K Poonacha and Zeel Desai crowned themselves in glory in contrasting fashion at the Fenesta Open national tennis championship which concluded on Saturday. On a pleasant day, Zeel Desai showed that age and fitness make a lot of difference in a big match. Zeel, who plays more abroad, adjusted to the conditions […]
New Delhi: Nikki K Poonacha and Zeel Desai crowned themselves in glory in contrasting fashion at the Fenesta Open national tennis championship which concluded on Saturday.
On a pleasant day, Zeel Desai showed that age and fitness make a lot of difference in a big match. Zeel, who plays more abroad, adjusted to the conditions over the week. In the final, Zeel played near flawless tennis against qualifier SharmadaBalu for a 6-3, 6-0 win.
The triumph brought her a prize money of Rs 3 lakhs. More important, to be crowned national champion after the resumption of sport after the Covid-19 pandemic, was a big plus.
To be fair, SharmadaBalu played well over the last ten days. From the hard grind of winning qualifying matches to making the final, it was a great journey. In the end, she was defeated but not disgraced.
“Today, I played really well. Like, she (Sharmada) was also so much confident because she beat the second seed yesterday and she was playing really well in the first set. I maintained my composure, so I went through the first set and then second set I was much more solid, so she may have mentally broke down and I won, said Zeel Desai.
In the men’s singles final, Nikki outlasted DigvijayPratap Singh 3-6, 7-6 (8/6), 6-4 in a match which brought the best out of the two players.
Digvijay started well in the first set, taking a lead by breaking early. However, Nikki, who was struggling with the range of his shots and timing, changed gears soon. He did lose the first set 3-6, but then started stroking with feel, the hard ground-strokes catching the eye.
The big challenge was the second set tie-break, where Nikki used good temperament and sealed it. In the final set, both the players were tired. Their legs were aching and the body may have been stiff.
To put mind over matter was important. Nikki showed that he is the top seed and came up with the big stuff when needed the most.
“It’s great to win the second time over here. Overall, my game was very shaky but I was holding in the second set and I pulled through it. In the third set, I think I played a very good game, I was holding up and I was confident. It turned out to be a very good day and very good game for me,” said Nikki. His effort also won him Rs 3 lakhs in prize money.
For all those who competed in the Fenesta Open this week, it was a great experience. Most players had not got much competition and to be playing the Nationals again after a long break was satisfying.
Results
Womens Singles Final Results
Zeel Desai (seed 1) bt SharmadaBalu 6-3, 6-0.
Mens Singles Final Results
Nikki K Poonacha (seed 1) bt DigvijayPratap Singh 3-6, 7-6 (6), 6-4.
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