Eight Indians, enter quarter-finals in ITF Junior

Chandigarh, Jan 3: Eight Indians advanced to the quarter-final of the Sunny Enclave ITF Junior World Ranking (Grade 3) Tennis Tournament being played at the CLTA Stadium here today.

Fourth seeded Vijayant Malik, eighth seed Prajnesh Gunneswaran, seventh seed Aksash Gujrathi, Yuki Bhambri and second seed Aswin Vijayragavan---will figure in the boys singles quarter-finals.

Bhavani Trimurthi (14th seed), Poojashree Venkatesh (11th) and Aadnya Naik (13th) advanced to the last eight stage in the girls singles.

Boys quarter-final line up is: 1-Rifat Biktyakov (Uzb) vs 8-Prajnesh Gunneswaran (India); 4-Vijayant Malik vs 7-Akash Gujrathi (India) ; 6-Jerzy Janowicz vs 3 Alexey Tikhonov (Rus) and WC-Yuki Bhambri (India) vs 2-Aswin Vijayragavan (India).

Girls singles quarter-final line-up is: 14- Bhavani Trimurthi (India) vs 6-Aleksandra Koleshnichenk (Uzb), 3-Yana Kireeva (Russia) vs 8-Beatrice Gumulya (Indonesia), 7-Nigora Sirojiddinova (Uzbekistan) vs 4-Jessy Rompies (Indonesia), 11- Poojashree Venkateh (India) vs 13-Aadnya Naik (India).

Maintaining his winning spree wild card Yuki Bhambri yet again stunned another seed on his way to quarter-final in boys singles match. Yuki Bhambri upset ninth seed Ronak Manuja in 7-5, 7-5 at court number 7.

Yuki Bhambri broke his rival in the fourth and 12th games to win the first set 7-5. Manuja also broke his rival in the seventh game and held his serve to level the score at 4-4. Manuja and Bhambri traded a number of break for break before the Bhambri won by an identical score of 7-5. Bhambri broke Manuja in the eighth, 10th and 12th games. Manuja broke his rival in the third and fifth games. At one stage, Manuja trailed 2-4 but managed to take 5-4 lead before Bhambri won the 10th, 11th and 12th games in a row to clinch the issue in his favour. Bhambri will now meet second seed Aswin Vijayragavan in the quarter-final match.

Fourth seed and a product of CLTA Rural Academy Vijayant Malik took just 70 minutes to dispose of the challenge Parul Verma, also of Chandigarh, in straight sets 6-3, 6-1. Parul committed a number of unforced errors.

Malik, a student of DAV Senior Secondary School, Sector 8, broke Parul in the sixth game of the first set, which he won by 6-3. The set lasted 46 minutes. In the second set, tally Malik broke Parul in the third, fifth and seventh games to wrap up the set at 6-1 and match in 24 minutes. Malik described the match as ''mediocre''.

''Parul played good tennis but committed numerous double faults,'' sail Malik.

ITF Junior (Grade IV) winner in Mumbai, Vijayant Malik will now meet seventh seed Akash Gujrathi in the quarter-final. Malik holds the edge over Gujrathi as the CLTA trainee had beaten him in semi-final recently in ITF Juniors (Grade IV) Tournament in Gugaon. An unwell Narinder Pal Singh Sidhu lost to Gujrathi in straight sets 7-5, 6-3.

Top seed Rifat Biktyakov of Uzbekistan, sixth seed Jerzy Janowicz of Poland and third seeded Alexey Tikhonov of Russia were the three foreign players who advanced to the quarter-finals with comfortable victories in their third round matches.

Rifat Biktyakov defeated 14th seeded Toshiya Suzuki of Japan by 6-4 and 7-6 (3). The first set lasted 52 minutes and second 40 minutes. Duece was called six times before Suzuki just managed to retain his serve to make it 2-3.

Three Indians--14th seed Bhavani Trimurthi, Poojashree Venkatesh and 13th seed Aadnya Naik --- moved into quarter-finals in the girls singles. Other girls who moved into the next level were Aleksandra Koleshnichenk and Nigora Sirojiddinova (Uzbekistan), Beatrice Gumulya and Jessy Rompies (Indonesia) and Yana Kireeva (Russia).

Top seed Lutfiana Aris Budhirato of Indonesia pulled out of the tournament as due to severe pain in her back. She conceded the match to 14 th seed Bhavani Trimurthi of India who led 5-3 in the first set.

Results: Boys singles (3rd round): Rifat Biktyakov (Uzb) bt Toshiya Suzuki (Japan ) 6-4, 7-6 (3), Prajnesh Gunneswaran (India) bt Jeong-Han Seo (Korea) 6-2, 6-3, Vijayant Malik (India) bt Parul Verma (India) 6-3, 6-1, Akash Gujrathi (India) bt Navinderpal Singh Sidhu (India) 7-5, 6-3, Jerzy Janowicz (Poland) bt Sudhanwa Sitaram (India) 6-4, 6-1, Alexey Thikhonov (Russia) bt Andrei Savulescu (Romania) 6-4, 6-2, Yuki Bhambri (India) bt Ronak Manuja (India) 7-5, 7-5, Aswin Vijayragavan (India) bt Timur Kamilo (Uzb) 6-2, 6-3.

Girls singles (3rd round): Bhavani Trimurthi (India) bt Lutfiana Aris Budhiharto (Ina) 5-3 conceded, Aleksandra Koleshnichenk (Uzb) bt Ashwarya Srivastava (India) 6-2, 6-3, Beatrice Gumulya (Indonesia) bt Prerna Bhambri (India) 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, Nigora Sirojiddinova (Uzbekistan) bt Vishaka Sheoran (India) 6-4, 6-2, Yana Kireeva (Russia) bt Prerna Mythri Appineni (India) 7-5, 6-4, Jessy Rompies (Indonesia) bt Nanuli Pipya (Russia) 6-3, 6-3, Aadnya Naik (India) bt Nupur Kaul (India) 6-1, 6-4, Poojashree Venkatesh (India) bt Shivika Burman (India) 6-1, 7-6 (7).

UNI