To Meet Bobrov; India’s Javia enjoys easy ride, to take on Sultanov

Chappell avenges loss, makes semis

Kalaburagi, Nov 22: It was payback time at the Chandrashekhar Patil Stadium courts here on Friday. American Nick Chappell, who suffered a first-round defeat at the hands of Karan Singh in Mumbai last week, held his nerve under pressure to avenge that defeat in the ITF Kalaburagi Open quarterfinals.

In a match poised on a knife-edge for the good part, the 32-year-old left-hander played the big points well to score a 7-5, 6-2 win over the Indian and set up a semifinal showdown with second-seeded Bogdan Bobrov in the $25,000 event. Bobrov scored a hard-fought 7-5, 6-3 win over Aryan Shah.

The other semifinal pits top-seeded Khumoyun Sultanov against India’s Dev Javia. While the Uzbek player came through in straight sets (6-2, 6-3) against Russia’s Maxim Zhukov, Javia played just one game before his rival Sidharth Rawat, who felt a trifle dizzy, retired on medical grounds.

Sixth-seeded Chappell, who last won a title five years ago, got off to a tentative start. It was the aggressive Karan who began to call the shots from the get-go, breaking the American in the opening game and then holding serve to love in the next. Unfortunately, the big-serving Karan committed far too many unforced errors to let slip the early advantage.

He tried to finish the points early and played a couple of drop shots that fell way short to allow Chappell to break back in the fourth game. The decisive break then came in the 12th game when an erratic Karan gave Chappell a look-in with a slew of errors. Facing a set point, the Indian tried a cheeky half volley drop shot without success.

However, Karan didn’t let the loss of the first set affect him and stayed in the contest till he imploded in the sixth game with three double faults and a backhand error to allow Chappell to go ahead 4-2.

Thereafter, the American was unstoppable, hitting winners off both flanks, the forehand down the line winner on the run in the seventh game being the pick. He broke Karan again in the eighth to book his berth in the semis.

CHAPPELL-SINHA IN FINAL

Chappell returned later in the afternoon to make the doubles final. He and partner Nitin Kumar Sinha of India defeated the Indian duo of Rishab Agarwal and Kabir Hans 6-2, 6-3.

The Indo-American combine takes on top-seeded Egor Agafonov and Bogdan Bobrov in the title clash on the morrow. The Russians overcame India’s Vishnu Vardhan and Siddhant Banthia 2-6, 6-3, 11-9.

Semifinal line-up: Nick Chappell vs Bogdan Bobrov; Khumoyun Sultanov vs Dev Javia.

Results (Prefix denotes seeding, Indians unless mentioned):Singles (Quarterfinals): 6-Nick Chappell (USA) bt 4-Karan Singh 7-5, 6-2; 7-Dev Javia bt Sidharth Rawat 1-0 (retd.); 2-Bogdan Bobrov (Rus) bt 5-Aryan Shah 7-5, 6-3; 1-Khumoyun Sultanov (Uzb) bt Maxim Zhukov (Rus) 6-2, 6-3.

Doubles (Semifinals): 1-Egor Agafonov/ Bogdan Bobrov (Rus) bt 3-Siddhant Banthia/ Vishnu Vardhan 2-6, 6-3, 11-9; Nick Chappell (USA)/ Nitin Kumar Sinha bt Rishab Agarwal/ Kabir Hans 6-2, 6-3.

CAPTION: PIX-1: American Nick Chappell in action during his quarterfinal win over India’s Karan Singh in the ITF Kalaburagi Open on Friday.

PIX-2: Khumoyun Sultanov of Uzbekistan returns to Russia’s Maxim Zhukov in the quarterfinals of the ITF Kalaburagi Open on Friday.

PIX-3: Russia’s Bogdan Bobrov makes a lunging return to India’s Aryan Shah in the ITF Kalaburagi Open on Friday.

PIX-4: American Nick Chappell makes a forehand winner on the run in the quarterfinal against Karan Singh in the ITF Kalaburagi Open on Friday.

PIX-5: American Nick Chappell (left) and partner Nitin Kumar Sinha made the doubles final of the ITF Kalaburagi Open on Friday.