New Delhi:
Top seed Yuki Bhambri asserted his class with a resounding 6-3 6-1 win over Torsten Wietoska and set up a title clash with compatriot N Sriram Balaji, who struggled past Vishnu Vardhan in a marathon semifinal of the USD 10,000 ITF Futures tournament on Friday.
Balaji edged past Vishnu 5-7 6-3 7-6 (4) in a three-hour seven minutes semifinal, but he still had enough energy to win the doubles title later with V M Ranjeet.
They beat the talanted young duo of Ashwin Vijayragwan and Ramkumar Ramnathan 7-6 (3) 6-3 in the title clash.
In an aggressive Wietoska, Yuki was playing his best opponent of the tournament, but the Delhi boy was too good for the German fifth seed.
Wietoska did put up a fight. He played with intensity and maintained that throughout but that only brought the best out of Yuki.
Wietoska had fiery power-packed strokes in his repertoire and some of his service returns were amazing but Yuki knew how to deal with fire, and it was Gereman who was feeling the heat.
Frustrated that he could do nothing to stop his rival, who had answer for his every shot, the German even threw his racquet and ended up causing a hole on the ITF backdrop.
Wietoska was facing a breakpoint in the fifth game, when he failed to pick up a low half volley, but saved that and then the next breakpoint with an ace. But he netted a backhand on the third chance to hand Yuki the lead, which he consolidated with an extremely good serve, making it 5-3.
Serving to stay in the match, Wietoska did not help his cause by spraying backhand errors.
The first game of the second set was the most intense, lasting 10 minutes and featured four decue points. Yuki saved two breakpoints. Wietoska had earned the first with a crushing forehand winner but Yuki saved that with a stunning cross court winner.
Dominant Yuki broke Woetska's serve and confidence in the second game and when he served out the next at love for a 3-0 lead even the German clapped, appreciating his rival's game.
