Delhi boy Divij Sharan takes third leg honours

Tennis at the DLTA does not really bring in the crowds, but the singles final of the third leg of the ITF Men’s Satellite circuit saw packed stands and vociferous home support for Delhi boy Divij Sharan. He acknowledged their cheers as he capped his fine performance this week with a 7-5, 6-3 victory over fourth seed Vijay Kannan.

Divij was not wary of advancing to the net, and his baseline play was not too bad either; he had no trouble coming up with passing shot winners whenever his opponent attempted to volley his way out of trouble.

The 20-year-old squandered three set points in the first set at 5-4, but made no mistake two games later, winning it 7-5. The vital break in the second set came at 5-3, which gave the in-form Divij the opportunity to serve for the title. This win gives Divij 25 circuit points in all and makes him the fourth seed for the last week of the circuit, the Satellite Masters.