New Delhi, April 20 (Inditop) India’s Vivek Shokeen staved off a stoic resistance from compatriot N. Vijay Sundar Prashanth to enter the second round of the $15,000 BHEL International Tennis Federation (ITF) men’s Futures at the DLTA complex here Monday.
Shokeen, who is making a comeback this year after missing the large part of 2008 due to a wrist injury, beat Prashanth 7-5, 7-6 (5) in one hour and 55 minutes.
Shokeen showed good court-craft and hit big forehand winners to rattle Prashanth but had problems in tackling his opponent’ top spin returns.
Shokeen was quick off the block when he broke Prashanth in the very first game of the match but was broken back in the fourth game. He then broke Prashanth in the eleventh game before serving out the set.
The two traded breaks early in the second set and later in the eighth and the ninth game to enforce the tie-break, where Shokeen prevailed.
Shokeen next plays the winner of the first round match between fifth seed Vishnu Vardhan and Thai Peerakit Siributwong.
In the other matches Monday, Viyay Kannan beat Abhijeet Tiwari 6-2, 6-4 while Vijayant Malik went down fighting to Japanese Takuto Niki 2-6, 7-5, 4-6.
rounak