Rovai masters Srinath

Rovai, who had earlier beaten Srinath in the final of the Hyderabad leg, made it three-in-a-row, by winning the second and third legs of the tournament and the Masters.

The Swede took advantage of Srinath’s lack of composure to win the first set, in a match marked by fast rallies, solid serving and fierce backline hitting. Srinath, after dropping his serve as early as in the third game, broke Rovai in the eighth to level at 4-4, but he lost his consistency once Rovai’s shots started clipping the lines and corners.

Rovai broke again in the 11th, when Srinath smacked a forehand return into the net, and the battle was almost over for theIndia No. 3 who is seeded second here.

“Srinath was mentally tired today,” said Rovai, who plays club tennis in Gothenburg, after the match. “I feel that made all the difference. My strategy was to keep Srinath on the move with deep returns,” added the Swede, who will turn 25 this September. He also indicated he would be skipping the Challengers tournament, as he felt his knee needed rest.