Sri Lankans' winning run ends

It was end of the road for Sri Lankan giant-killers N S Nichendran and Emmunal Franklyn. They crashed out in the boys' under-14 semi-finals, through they managed to win the doubles title in the same category, in the DSCL Open National tennis championship in Delhi on Friday.

Unseeded Nichendran, who had beaten top seed Jeevan Nedunchezien, met his match in fourth seed Sumeet Prakash Gupta. The Uttar Pradesh player made short work of the Sri Lankan, winning in straight sets, 6-4, 6-1 to set up a title clash with Andhra Pradesh's J Vishnu Vardhan.

Vardhan accounted for Emmunal Franlyn, who had beaten second seed Sanam K Singh in the quater-finals. Vardhan won 7-5, 6-2 victory over his rival.

However, the unfancied Sri Lankans had the last laugh in the under-14 doubles when they toppled the top seeded pair of H Pataskar and Sumit Gupta in straight sets, winning 6-4, 6-4 to claim the title.

In three other sections, boys' under-16, girls' under-16 and under-14, the top seeds made it to the final.

Top seed Tushar Liberhan (Chandigarh) made short work of third seed M V Abhay Prakash of Karnataka in a totally one-sided boys' under-16 semi-final. Tushar won 6-1, 6-0.

He will face Nihal Advani of Maharashtra in the final. Advani overpowered Vishnu Vardhan 6-3, 6-3 in other semi-final.

In girls' under-16 semi-finals, which was all-local affair, top seed Parul Goswami waged a grim battle to oust Olexandra Verkhnyatska 6-7(4), 7-6(3), 6-1.

Parul will take on seventh seed Sanaa Bhambri in the final. Sanaa beat her sister, fifth seed Ankita Bhambri, 6-2, 6-4 in another match.

Top seed Sandri Gangotri of Andhra and second seed Kartiki Bhat of Maharashtra will face each other in the girls' under-14 final.

Sandri lost the first set but staged a fine comeback to overpower Sandhya Aagraj of Tamil Nadu 2-6, 6-0, 6-3 in the semi-finals.

In the other match, Kartiki, who also lost the first set, played a fine game in next two sets to overpower fourth seed Sanaa Bhambri 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-3.

Second seed Tushar Liberhan and Chatwinder Singh defeated top seed A Dutta and Rupesh Roy 7-6(1), 6-1 to win the boys' under-16 doubles title.

Franklyn Emmunal and N Nichendran surprised top seed H. Pataskar and Sumit Gupta 6-4, 6-4 to win the under-14 doubles final.

The Bhambri sisters, Ankita and Sanna defeated second seeds K Pooja and S Lodha to win the girls' under-16 final.

The second seeded pair of M Ranganathan and V Murli beat S Nagraj and Sandri Gangotri 6-4, 6-4 in the under-14 doubles final.