Uppal-Ghouse waltz into final

MUMBAI, JAN 29: The futures circuit, as the name suggests, was imported to flush out promise. On the penultimate day of the $10,000 Gold ...

MUMBAI, JAN 29: The futures circuit, as the name suggests, was imported to flush out promise. On the penultimate day of the $10,000 Gold Flake Aces, the last of the ITF Futures of this season, at the Dr GA Ranade Tennis Centre here, at least one prospect was sighted. He wears a bandana and answers to the name of Vishal Uppal.

Uppal and Mustafa Ghouse, ranked a hopeless 1915, treating their wild card as if it were a stolen credit card, eased into the men’s doubles final. The other Indian pair Harsh Mankad and Nitin Kirtane, treated even more shabbily by their Swede opponents, lost 3-6 2-6.

It was Uppal’s second foray into the doubles final in four Futures, Ghouse’s first. Both were equally jubilant. Ghouse said, “We played much better today. Our opponents were not doing too well out there.”

Story continues below this ad

Asked if they intended to convert their joint venture into a partnership, they were non-committal. Ghouse said, “Both Vishal and I are strong on the right court. If Vishal can adjust well on the deuce court, wehave a future.”

A 5-0 lead in the first set, aggressive volleying and brilliant returns of serve by Ghouse — opponents Ivo Karlovic and Michael Kogan must have felt like any of the ten little Indians trapped in Agatha Christie’s Death Island.With big server Karlovic struggling for rhythm, aand the Indians attacking the weaker Kogan with relish, the end came soon, when the 6’7" Karlovic put Uppal’s weak overhead return into the net.

THAI MENU FOR FINAL: Earlier, Thailand’s top player Srichaphan Paradorn warmed for next week’s Davis Cup tie against Kazakhstan with a 7-6 (7-3) 6-2 win over qualifier Simon Aspelin. Paradorn, who with brother Naradorn won the Asian Games doubles gold, had a low 52 per cent first serve and four double faults, and said later, “he was not serving well either.”

On a virtual one-night stand here after losing in the Australian Open qualifiers, the Thai sent out a warning to summit opponent Michel Kratochvil, “since I came here only for one tournament, I have to win.”