Ideal send-off to Karan Rastogi

With the Chennai Open just about to get underway, grabbing a title was the best way for Karan Rastogi to head into next week’s big event.

With the Chennai Open just about to get underway, grabbing a title was the best way for Karan Rastogi to head into next week’s big event. The Mumbai youngster put in a dominant display in the final of this week’s ITF Futures tournament, defeating Hyun-woo Nam in straight sets.

The 21-year-old from Korea has shown his resilience in the two weeks of tennis, managing to chase down everything that was thrown at him, but today Rastogi kept pace with him. Nam was broken in the first game of the match, and his opponent’s groundstrokes, slammed deep into the corners of the court, did not make the situation any easier for him.

Rastogi was in a spot of bother in the sixth game, poor service giving Nam four break points, but the 20-year-old held his nerve to keep his lead intact. A single break was enough for Rastogi to pocket the first set 6-4.

Story continues below this ad

Nam’s performance in the second set gave the impression that two weeks of hectic tennis had finally taken a toll on the tenacious youngster, and as his errors increased, victory for Karan did not seem far away. A double break allowed him to serve for the match, completing a 6-4, 6-2 win.

Over to Chennai. “I’m happy with the way I played. I feel a lot more relaxed now, and I’m looking forward to playing high quality opponents at Chennai — that’s the only way to get better,” said Rastogi.

He plays 106th ranked Brazilian Thiago Alves of Brazil in the first round, with the possibility of top seed Rafael Nadal in the second round looming large.