Short but not sweet, Myneni falters at the final hurdle
DELHI OPEN Indian’s aggressive play comes up short against Frenchman Robert in title clash
NEW DELHI: The strategy had been simple throughout the week. The implementation on Sunday was anything but.
As has been his wont at the Delhi Open, Saketh Myneni tried to shorten the points with big serves and extravagant groundstrokes. Unfortunately an erratic execution of both, coupled with a tenacious opponent in Frenchman Stephane Roberts, brought about an end to his run with a 3-6, 0-6 defeat in Sunday’s final at the DLTA complex.
“I tried to be aggressive and took my chances” could easily sum up the tournament for the fourth seed, who hadn’t dropped a set before the title clash. “Yesterday I did the exact same thing (during his win over world No. 125 Kimmer Coppejans), but couldn’t pull it off today.” BATTLE PLANS Myneni’s gameplan was thwarted by the 35-year-old Robert, who collected his seventh Challenger title and first on hardcourt. Robert, a showman who refers to his flashy style as “casino tennis”, deployed an uncharacteristically tactical, defensive approach with a lot of slicing and occasional net charges.
His flat strokes meant Myneni could not get on top of the bounce and often smashed the ball into the net.
But while it was over in 55 minutes, Robert believed the contest was closer than it looked.
“The score looked easy from outside, but it was not easy. This guy has a very strong mentality,” said Robert, who saved two break points in his first two service games.
T he f i rst f ive g ames — stretched over twenty minutes — all went to 30-30 and saw seven deuce points. Robert held to love in the sixth, broke Myneni in the seventh and shut out the contest with ten straight games.
Myneni, who ended runnersup in the doubles on Saturday, said he was struggling with his movement.
“I was struggling since last evening with my arm, the movement and all... It just fell flat. I was struggling after long points,” Myneni said after the match.
Strong 26kph gusts of wind didn’t make it any easier on tiring legs of Myneni, who at one point resorted to shout, “When did Delhi start having wind?”
“It affects your toss and everything. Even his mishits were awkward for me, because they were going into tough places. You’re setting up for the shot, and then because of the wind you have to move that extra step.”
Despite falling at the last hurdle, Myneni’s performance here will earn him 48 ranking points and could push him into the top 150 for the first time. Myneni, who reached the singles and doubles semifinals of a Challenger in Australia earlier this month, will be back in the Capital to play in the PSPB event before leaving for China.
But before further challenges, the 28-year-old knows that he needs to “manage” his body.
“I’ve been constantly playing for the last 15-20 days. I’m just looking forward to a few days at home now.”