Sun sets on Ashutosh

Despite threatening skies, today8217;s ITF Futures final here did not last long enough for the weather to interrupt it.

Despite threatening skies, today8217;s ITF Futures final here did not last long enough for the weather to interrupt it. Ashutosh Singh8217;s first final was short, but certainly not sweet as it was China8217;s Sun Peng who cruised to a comfortable 6-2, 6-1 victory.

Throughout the course of this week, the Indian player had put up a fine display of tennis, but his usual ease at the net was absent today. The match went with serve till 2-2 in the first set, but thereafter, Ashutosh8217;s game fell apart.

Forehand errors and wide backhands did little to ease his nerves, and soon Peng had a 4-2 lead after a volley was sent long by the player from Delhi. The Chinese player dictated the pace of the game, forcing Ashutosh to dash from one end of the court to the other with the sheer depth of his groundstrokes. It was a forehand slammed into the net that gave Peng the first of two set points, and a similar error in judgment on the backhand side decided the set at 6-2.

Little changed as the second set got underway, with Peng having so trouble with his serve and forcing points during his opponent8217;s service games.

Ashutosh had already lost the plot, and even though he made some attempts to bring in a bit of aggression into his game, it was all in vain.

Peng8217;s powerful play from the baseline claimed an early break, giving him a 2-0 lead. For a while, it appeared as though Ashutosh would be at the receiving end of a second-set whitewash, but he managed to claim a single game by a rare volley winner, making it 5-1.

The inevitable, though, was not too far away8212;Peng advancing to the net to hit a volley and claim the match 6-2, 6-1, just as a slight drizzle began. 8220;He was returning my serve really early, and I started having problems when he started flattening his backhand. He8217;s a much better player than his ranking suggests, and I guess I felt the pressure. I hope I can put up a good show at next week8217;s Futures in Jassowal,8221; said Ashutosh, speaking after his match.