Boys book berth in finals

The Indians, seeded No 2, comprised Sanam K Singh, Rupesh Roy and Sumit Prakash Gupta; the coach was Mumbai8217;s Mayur Vasant. They had to play just two matches, against Pakistan 3-0 and Uzbekistan 2-0, then beat hong Kong in the quarters before losing to Korea in the semis.

The Uzbekistan match, Vasant told The Indian Express, was the 8216;most decisive moment8217;. 8216;8216;Any mishap there meant we would have ended up playing Indonesia in the quarter-finals. But luckily we won quite easily.8217;8217;

The win over the Uzbeks came after he had dropped India8217;s No 1 player Sanam K Singh. 8216;8216;I could see that a natural hardcourt player like him was struggling on the clay surface8217;8217;, Vasant said.

The semi-final was lost 2-1, and Vasant acceoted the charge that the team, having already entered the world group, took its foot off the pedal. 8216;8216;Yes, the boys did relax, but they are at a developing stage and it was only expected that it would happen.8217;8217;

However, they regrouped for the play-off against Taiwan and won.

The tournament bodes well for the future, says Vasant, especially the form of Rupesh and Sumit. 8216;8216;Sumit and Rupesh have grown because of these qualifiers. They have matured and have shown an urge to learn.8217;8217;

The focus now shifts to the Indian girls who began their campaign on Tuesday in Kuala Lumpur with a bid to qualify for the Junior Fed Cup. Last year, Sania Mirza led India to fifth place in this tournament.