Indian challenge ends in ATP Challenger

Dharwad, Apr 28 (UNI) Karan Rastogi and Ashutosh Singh made a valiant comeback from one set down, but frittered away a huge lead in the crucial juncture and went down to Slovakians Kamil Capkovic and Lukas Lacko in the doubles semifinals of the Dharwad Open ATP Challenger Men's Tennis tournament at DDLTA courts here today.

The Slovakian pair won the match 6-1, 6-7 (3), 14-12 in super tie-breaker.

With the duo's loss, the Indian challenge in the tounament came to an end.

After losing the first set tamely, the Indians fought back and won the second set 7-6. In the tie-breaker, Indians were at one stage leading 6-0 and kept the lead till the Slovakians bounced back to equalise at 9-9. After equalising at 12-12, the Slovakians hammered aces to knock off the two crucial points and sailed into the finals.

In another doubles semifinals, Thailand's Ratiwatana brothers -- Sonchat and Sonchai -- trounced Uzbekistan's Denis Istomin and Ukraine's Orest Tereschuck 6-4, 6-2 in 55 minutes in a one-sided match.

Meanwhile, top seed Taik Hyung Lee of Korea, Victor Troicki of Serbia, Lukasz Kubot of Poland and Hsun Yen Lu of Taipei entered the singles semifinals.

It was the quarterfinal match between Kubot and qualifier Phillip King of USA that kept the spectators glued to their seats. The duo fought under the scorching sun for 155 minutes before Kubot conquered King 6-3, 3-6, 6-2. Both the players displayed fine tennis, hammering aces, crosscourt drives both backhand and forehand.

After winning the first set, Kubot seemed to have lost rhythm midway. He was troubled by cramps in the second set, which he eventually lost. Kubot broke King in the opening game of the first set and went on to do so in the third and fifth games. King did break Kubot once in the second game, but it was Kubot who dominated throughout.

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