AP Lawn Tennis coach attains Glory

Rising to the challenge - The Hindu 14-02-2012 , The School Of Power Tennis

NET TRICKS Saketh Myneni. Photo: Sushanta Patronobish

The new national champion Saketh is determined to make it big

He wants to stand tall – not just in terms of height (he is 6 foot, 3 inch) — but in stature too, in Indian tennis. Clearly, Saketh Sai Myneni fresh from being crowned as the new national tennis champion in Kolkata is aiming high. Back in the city after a five-year stint in United States where he combined academics and tennis training, Saketh feels that the atmosphere for sports has changed a lot back home. “This is the big win when you consider I had been consistent right through the championship week,” he looks back at the Kolkata triumph.

This gifted player too has been trained by the dedicated C. V. Nagaraj at the RRC Grounds which also produced the Davis Cupper J. Vishnuvardhan, Suresh Krishna (incidentally the one who lost to Saketh at the final in Kolkata).

The 2005 Junior national champion Saketh is delighted that there is a sea-change in the general sports scenario in the city, as it is no more cricket-centric. “I am really happy that many champions from different disciplines are making a mark now at the national and international level,” he points out. Saketh has decided to focus only on tennis and is not even looking for any job opportunity. This 24-year-old tennis player, who completed his Majors in Finance & Economics in Alabama University, doesn't believe that he will be weighed down by the expectations, especially after his two big titles in the last few weeks – the Futures and the Kolkata Nationals. “As a professional you have to be ready for anything. I always believe that learning is an endless process. There is always a scope for improvement,” feels the enthusiastic new star on the tennis horizon. “Yes, my big serve (often clocking 230 kmph) is the strong point right now and my first love is grass court. But since there are many hard-court tournaments scheduled, I am aware of the importance of being equally good on these surfaces too,” he explains. For someone who admires the former US great Andre Agassi, Saketh is really working hard to be a quality player with the desired all-round game. “I am fortunate to have such a dedicated gentleman like Nagaraj sir. He is more like a mentor to me. Always ensures that my energy levels are high,” were his compliments to his guru.

Powered by pride and passion

Indian Express
13 Feb 2012 


Powered by pride and passion

       The city and by extension, State tennis hasn’t looked this strong in a long time. Of the four finalists in the just-concluded men’s and women’s Senior National Grass Court Championship at Kolkata, three were from Hyderabad.

24-year-old USreturned Saketh Sai Myneni emerged victorious to win his maiden trophy dethroning AS Suresh Krishna, last year’s champ. For 16-year-old Sri Vaishnavi Peddi Reddy, it was hard luck as she went down fighting in three sets to seasoned campaigner Rushmi Chakravarthi in the women’s singles final. Notwithstanding her defeat, the very fact of a strong Hyderabadi presence in finals has once again put the city firmly in the driver’s seat in tennis years after Sania Mirza burst onto the international stage.

“In the past, it was Tamil Nadu which had at least 15 top players.

But it is AP’s time now.

We have tremendous talent here and I’m sure you will see more encouraging results in future,” says Saketh. It was also a proud moment for CV Nagaraj, perhaps one of the most successful coaches in the country. He made a hat-trick of sorts as three of his trainees, J Vishnu Vardhan, Suresh Krishna and now, Saketh won the national title. It could have been four in a row had PC Vignesh not lost out to Aushtosh Singh in the final in 2010.

“This year’s result is a perfect gift for the hard-working coach,” points out Suresh Krishna. Nagaraj’s Power Tennis Academy at the Railway Recreation ground in Secunderabad is a hub for tennis activity. Saketh like Suresh Krishna started his career at this academy as a young kid.

Hailing from Visakhapatnam, this lanky player came to the city to stay with his grandfather in Sainikpuri and learn tennis. He became junior national champion in 2005 before leaving for the US for higher studies at the University of Alabama. From 2006 to 2010, he was pursuing his studies and at the same time honed his skills in tennis. “It helped me become a stronger player, mentally and physically.

I had the opportunity to participate in the inter-collegiate tennis,” recalls Saketh, who on his return immediately came back to Nagaraj last year. The youngster, who has one of the most powerful serves in the game, has himself been methodical in his approach. “I did a lot of research on the game and fitness.

Sport is all about motivation,” points out Saketh, who got his first ATP points by winning the Futures tennis tournament in November last in Chennai.

Nagaraj feels that Saketh’s booming service is a potent weapon.

“He serves at around 230 kmph, easily the fastest in the country,” the proud coach says. So what next for this 6’3 tall young man? “I have to accumulate a good number of points before participating in tough tournaments outside the country,” he replies candidly and hopes to emulate his idol World No 1 Novak Djokovic.

Contrasting wins for Saketh Rushmi,

 The Hindu
February 12, 2012

TENNIS / Saketh  cruises in the men's final; Rushmi takes three hours to regain title

It took all of 57 minutes for Saketh Myneni of Andhra Pradesh to become the new men's National champion, while Rushmi Chakravarthi of Tamil Nadu required a record three hours to regain the women's title after a gap of four years.

The singles finals of the Indian Jute National grass-court tennis at the famed South Club centre-court witnessed contrasting scenes where two generations of tennis talents clashed for supremacy.

While top-seeded Saketh dominated reigning champion and Statemate A.S. Suresh Krishna in the men's final, third-seeded Rushmi prevailed over fourth-seeded Sri Vaishnavi Peddi Reddy of Andhra Pradesh in the women's final.

Rushmi's singles triumph also meant that she annexed a double crown. She had won the women's doubles title on Friday partnering Ankita Raina of Gujarat.

Looking for her sixth National title 34-year-old Rushmi scripted a rare essay of tact and endurance to better the 16-year-old Sri Vaishnavi and realise her dream.

Wealth of experience

Rushmi, who apparently is more into coaching in her newly opened academy in Chennai, dug deep into the wealth of her experience and clambered back from a set deficit to wrest the match from her young and energetic opponent.

Sri Vaishnavi began on a breezy note and opened up a 4-1 lead breaking Rushmi thrice in the first set. Just as Vaishnavi seemed to relax on the advantage, Rushmi stung back.

The seasoned campaigner teased her young opponent with a mix of low slices and deep cross-court returns while inducing the latter to commit errors.

Rushmi levelled the score 5-5 with a late comeback before forcing the tie-breaker. Sri Vaishnavi brought her strong forehand returns to good effect to win the first set tiebreak (7-3) and again ran up a 4-0 lead in the second set breaking Rushmi twice.

Rushmi, showing the temperament of a champion, gradually worked her way back once again just as Sri Vaishnavi seemed to be in a hurry to wrap up the match.

Rushmi salvaged one break in the fifth game and then levelled the breaks in the ninth game when Sri Vaishnavi was serving for the match at 5-3. Rushmi returned with uncanny calm and perfection making her young opponent choke and miss the easiest of returns.

Mental leverage

The second set also went to the tiebreaker, but Rushmi, having gained the mental leverage, levelled the set score winning the tie-break 7-2.

The final set, that lasted 65 minutes, saw a battle of attrition as Sri Vaishnavi played hard to survive while Rushmi went in search of winners.

Rushmi broke Sri Vaishnavi in the fourth game to forge a 3-1 advantage before Sri Vaishnavi broke back in the fifth to level the issue.

Rushmi broke Sri Vaishnavi, who led 40-30, in the 12th game to decide the set 7-5 and complete one of the longest National women's finals in recent times.

“Grass is my favourite surface and I just went out and gave my best today,” said Rushmi after winning her sixth title in nine final appearances.

Smooth ascension

Saketh's ascension to the top was the smoothest among recent champions. The Hyderabad-based player, who returned to the country late last year after playing five years of inter-collegiate tennis in the United States, was just brilliant today.

Never allowing his opponent to break serve, Saketh totally outclassed Suresh Krishna breaking serve once in each of the two sets for a quick victory.

“I wish to compete for a spot in the Indian Davis Cup team and I hope to continue with my form this season,” said 24-year-old Saketh, whose last major title in the country was winning the junior Nationals in Chennai in 2005.

The results (finals):

Women's singles: Rushmi Chakravarthi (TN) bt Sri Vaishnavi Peddi Reddy (AP) 6-7(3), 7-6(2), 7-5.

Men's singles: Saketh Myneni (AP) bt A.S. Suresh Krishna (AP) 6-3, 6-4.Doubles: Mohit Mayur Jayaprakash & Mohamed Fariz (TN) bt Rupesh Roy (Ben) & Christopher Marquis (Mah) 6-3, 6-4.

Three Players From the School of Power Tennis in Semi Finals

February 9, 2012


Defending champion A.S. Suresh Krishna (AP),P.C. Vignesh (AP),Saketh Myneni (AP)PLAYERS  from the school of power tennis in semifinals, Indian Jute National grass-court tennis championship


 Congratulations C.V,Nagraj from the chief coach of  "THE SCHOOL OF POWER TENNIS"


                                                       

Suresh Krishna survives a scare

HINDHU

February 9, 2012


THE  SCHOOL OF POWER TENNIS

 TENNIS / Former champs Ankita Raina and Rushmi Chakravarthi advance

BOUNCING BACK:Defending champion and second seed Suresh Krishna found himself a set down against qualifier Tejas Chaukalkar, but rallied to earn a spot in the quarterfinals.— PHOTO: PTI

Defending champion A.S. Suresh Krishna of Andhra Pradesh won a battle of attrition against qualifier Tejas Chaukalkar of Maharashtra to continue his march in the Indian Jute National grass-court tennis championship here at the South Club on Wednesday.

The second-seeded Suresh Krishna's survival meant that all the seeded players, except for sixth seeded Ajai Selvaraj who lost in the first round, sailed into the quarterfinals.

Krishna, who struggled for consistency, erased a set's deficit before turning the tables on his opponent in a battle that went on for two and a half hours.

Top seeded Saketh Myneni and third seeded P.C. Vigenesh of Andhra Pradesh moved up winning their respective matches comfortably.

The women's pre-quarterfinals turned into a virtual minefield for the seeds, with three out of the seven seeds playing on Wednesday losing to unseeded opponents.

After top seeded Shivika Burman retired after aggravating a shoulder injury in the first round, sixth seeded Garima Vatwani of Delhi conceded her match following a wrist injury to qualifier Vaniya Dangwal of Delhi. Vatwani was leading 6-5 when she was force d to retire.

Qualifier Nupur Kaul beat fifth seeded Shweta C. Rana of Delhi in straight sets.

Unseeded Sansitha Nandkumar of Tamil Nadu also produced a confident performance to outclass eighth seeded Nehel Sahni of Delhi.

Former champions — second seeded Ankita Raina of Gujarat and third seeded Rushmi Chakravarthi of Tamil Nadu — stormed into the quarters with easy wins.

The results: Pre-quarterfinals Men: Saketh Myneni (AP) bt Ronak Manuja (Mah) 6-3, 6-2; Mohit Mayur Jayaprakash (TN) Abhijeet Tiwari (Chg) 6-1, 6-4, Nitin Kirrtane (Mah) bt Arpit Sharma (Raj) 6-2, 7-6(2); Vijay Kannan (TN) bt Vinod Gowda (Kar) 6-3, 7-6(5); Saurav Sukul (Ben) bt Adit Jain (Del) 6-3, 6-2; P.C. Vignesh (AP) bt Siddharth Rawat (UP) 6-3, 6-4; Shahbaaz Khan (Mah) bt Yogesh Phoghat (Del) 6-3, 5-7, 7-6(2); A.S. Suresh Krishna (AP) bt Tejas Chaukalkar (Mah) 3-6, 6-3, 7-5.

Women: Amrita Mukherjee (Ben) bt Smriti Joon (Kar) 6-0, 6-1; Vaniya Dangwal (Del) bt Garima Vatwani (Del) 5-6(retd); Rushmi Chakravarthi (TN) bt Rani Smita Jain (IAF) 6-0, 6-2; Treta Bhattacharya (Ben) bt Manya Nagpal (Del) 6-2, 6-1; Nupur Kaul (Del) bt Shweta C. Rana (Del) 6-4, 6-3; S. Vaishnavi Pedi Reddy (AP) bt Arantxa Andrady (Del) 6-1(retd); Sansitha Nandkumar (TN) bt Nehel Sahni (Del) 6-2, 6-4; Ankita Raina (Guj) bt Sahan Shetty (Kar) 6-2 ,6-2.

Doubles: Quarterfinals: Men: Christopher Marquis (Mah) & Rupesh Roy (Ben) bt Saurabh Singh (Del) & Rakshay Thakkar (Mah) 6-2, 3-6, 10-8; Saketh Myneni (AP) & Vijay Kannan (TN) bt Kamal Suresh (Kar) & Krishna Karsolia (UP) 6-0, 6-2; Mohit Mayur Jayaprakash & Fariz Mohamed (TN) bt Tejas Chaukalkar & Ronak Manuja (Mah) 6-3, 7-5; Arjun Khade & Nitin Kirrtane (Mah) bt Siddharth Rawat (UP) & Yogesh Phoghat (Del) 6-4, 7-5. Women: Rushmi Chakravarthi (TN) & Ankita Raina (Guj) bt Arantxa Andrady (Dli) & Namita Bal (Mah) 6-1, 6-2; Smriti Joon (Har) & Vanya Dangwal (Del) bt Sayali Bhilare & Sagarika Phadke (Mah) 7-6(7-5), 6-0; Saadgi Rajni & Eetee Mehta (Guj) bt Abhilasha Ahuja (Har) & Riya Bhatia (Del) 6-2, 4-6; 10-4; Amrita Mukherjee (Ben) & Sansitha Nandkumar (TN) bt Shweta Rana & Garima Vatwani (Del) 6-3, 3-2(retd).

Saketh, Shivika top seeded

 THE HINDU

  6/2/2012

THE SCHOOL OF POWER TENNIS

Saketh Myneni of Andhra Pradesh is top-seeded in the men's singles of the Indian Jute-AITA National grass court tennis, which gets underway at the South Club here on Monday. In the women's section, local talent Shivika Burman has received the top billing.

Mynen faces a strong field in the top half of the main draw, which presents a mix of youth and experience.

The men's field has the top three seeds from Andhra Pradesh with the defending champion A.S. Suresh Krishna seeded second. P.C. Vignesh, the finalist in 2009 edition, will be another strong contender for the title being given the third seeding.

The women's section will be seeing a new champion with the defending champion — Kyra Shroff of Maharashtra — opting out to play the circuit abroad. Shivika Burman, who won an ITF $10,000 women's tournament in Djibouti in December, will be looking to better her performance on grass.

Burman will be meeting wild-card Smriti Joon of Haryana in the first round.

Rushmi Chakravarthy of Tamil Nadu will be looking to regain her form.

The qualifying draw remained inconclusive with the final round matches slated to be completed on Monday. This pushes back the start of the main draw matches, the bulk of which will be played on Tuesday. — Principal Correspondent