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Journalism of Courage
Delhis Sumit Nagal will have a nice feather in his cap to boast of among his friends when he returns from his overseas stint in Canada and the United States. The 14-year-old,who won the 23rd American Cup International Tennis Championship boys singles title,joins the likes of Novak Djokovic,Andy Murray,Fernando Gonzaleza and Marcos Baghdatis.
On his way to the title at the Miccosukee Tennis Club in Miami,Florida,top seed Sumit beat several top-ranked under-16 players from across the world,getting past Canadas top player David Volfson 1-6 6-1 10-6 in the final. Nagal held off Volfsons challenge in a match that lasted nearly two and a half hours. His start was rather rusty but some smart thinking and good service games saw him through.
I was inconsistent in the first set,I missed a lot of easy balls. In the second set I tightened up more,took the balls on the rise and got more first serves in,Sumit told Sportline from Toronto,where he has based himself for the past one year. The win has made him a favourite for the Orange Bowl tennis tournament this week,a Grade A event equal to the Junior Grand Slams level.
Sumit receives 100 per cent sponsorship from Mahesh Bhupathi,who admits Sumit is the real deal in singles. He also has a former Olympian swimmer,Denise Lindsey,as his physical fitness trainer and Bobby Mahal as his coach.
How he fared:
1st round beat Kentaro Mizushima (Jp) 6-1 6-3
2nd round beat Dusan Vukicevic (Srb) 6-3 6-4
3rd round beat Ben Fatael (Isr) 6-3 6-3
Quarterfinals beat Benjamin Hannestad (Den) 6-3 6-2
Semifinals beat Evgeny Tyurnev (Rus) 6-2 3-6 10-5
Finals beat David Volfson (Can) 1-6 6-1 10-6
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