RAMKUMAR RAMANATHAN

Ramkumar Ramanathan gave his all before losing while Prajnesh Gunneswaran squndered chances galore in his match as India conceded a 0-2 lead in the World Group Play-off tie against Serbia here on Friday.

Ramkumar battled hard but it was not enough to stop Laslo Djere from winning his first Davis Cup match. The Indian lost 6-3 4-6 6-7(2) 2-6 after intense three hour and 11 minutes on the indoor clay courts at Kraljevo Sports Venue.

Djere, ranked 86, had lost both his Davis Cup matches before clashing with Ramkumar, ranked 135.

Qualifier Niki Poonacha took a dream to its logical end as he beat Michael Look of Australia 6-3, 6-1 in the final of the $25,000 ITF men’s Futures tennis tournament in Indonesia on Saturday.

It was the maiden singles title for the 23-year-old Poonacha, ranked a modest 1111, who has won three doubles titles including one with Davis Cupper Ramkumar Ramanathan.

Ramkumar Ramanathan notched up a straight set win over Canada’s Vasek Pospisil to reach his first ever ATP semi-finals but veteran Leander Paes bowed out after losing his doubles quarterfinal at the Hall of Fame Open grasscourt tournament in Newport.

The 23-year-old from Chennai took one hour and 18 minutes to get across Pospisil 7-5, 6-2 in the quarterfinals.

The 161-ranked Indian will meet American Tim Smyczek in the last four of the tournament.

Ramkumar Ramanathan gave a good account of himself with a fluent serve and volley game before being overtaken at the post by Steve Johnson of the US 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 in the final of the $623,710 Hall of Fame ATP tennis tournament in Newport, US, on Sunday.

While the 23-year-old Ramkumar had the serve to speak for his prowess, as he fired 10 aces, the 28-year-old Johnson had all the experience backed by three Tour titles, including one on grass in Nottingham, to come up trumps at the crunch.