Pitche battles in the offing

Chennai, Feb 28: Come April, the tennis lovers of Chennai will throng the SAF stadium for a week to have a feel of international flavour ...

Chennai, Feb 28: Come April, the tennis lovers of Chennai will throng the SAF stadium for a week to have a feel of international flavour and watch some high-voltage tennis. There might not be the same hype and hoopla when the Gold Flake Aces Tour second leg gets underway tomorrow but for the Indian players, starved of senior tournaments, the competition is most welcome. Added to that, the facilities at the venue are of international standard which should provide the necessary inspiration for players.Making the transition from the clay courts of Madurai to the hardcourts at Chennai might prove arduous for some players but that8217;s where the challenge lies.

National hardcourt champion Nitin Kirtane, former National champion and hard-hitting Vasudeva Reddy, Sandeep Kirtane, winner of the first leg in Chennai, Davis Cup reserve Vijay Kannan, who had a good run in the satellite event at Kannur, Vinod Sridhar, winner of National Games recently at Imphal and Saurav Panja will be the star attractions in thetournament.

Considering the field and AITA points at stake, there should be a pitched battle in the coming week. Sandeep Kirtane, who toppled the top two seeds in quick fashion to emerge victor in the first leg at Madurai will find it a little tougher here with Nitin Kirtane and Vasudeva Reddy taking part. It remains to be seen whether he can make it two-in-a-row.

National junior champion and runner-up in the Hardcourt Nationals at Delhi, Vijay Kannan, competing for Delhi in the National Games, was sick and could not perform to his best. He lost to Sandeep in the first leg. He will be trying to make amends for that in his hometown.

Queried about the Aces circuit, Vijay Kannan, said 8220;It8217;s a very good tournament and I hope to do well in the second leg8221;. When asked about his semifinal loss in Madurai to Sandeep Kirtane, Vijay reflected, 8220;Sandeep played well and I didn8217;t play to my full potential8221;.

Vinod Sridhar, known for his consistency, led Tamil Nadu to a title triumph in the recently endedNational Games and doubtlessly would like to end up on the winners podium in the second leg.

For the youngsters of Tamil Nadu, it will be an excellent opportunity to test their skills and thereby come to know where they stand among the cream of Indian players.