BHUBANESWAR 11-Oct-2012 191
Host Odisha bagged three out of four titles in the AITA-OTA Talent Series Tennis Tournament, which concluded at KIIT University Tennis Complex here today. Among the Odisha title winners, Avilash Mishra bagged a creditable double, emerging both singles and doubles champion in under-16 boys` category. In the all-Odisha singles final, top seed Mishra beat second seed and statemate Abhilash Chandra Sahoo 6-2, 6-2.
Earlier in the semifinals, Mishra prevailed over Molla Bahad Khan (WB) 6-1, 6-4, while Sahoo got the better of statemate Nishant Kumar 6-1, 7-5. A product of S S Tennis Academy, Mishra cliched the double crown when he and his academy partner Nishant Kumar defeated Adarsh Sahoo and Abhilash Chandra Sahoo 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 10-4 in the doubles final, which was also an all-Odisha affair.
Odisha grabbed the third title with Shilpi Swarupa Das emerging champion in under-16 girls` singles category. Top seed Das, a trainee of Bangalore-based Mahesh Bhupathi Tennis Academy, downed second seed Koyal Mishra in the all-Odisha final 6-2, 6-2.
Karnataka lad Pralok Ikkurthy denied Odisha a clean sweep of all four titles when he emerged champion in under-12 boys` singles category, upsetting top seed Odisha`s Mahesh Mohapatra 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 in the hard-fought final. Earlier in the semifinals, third seed Ikkurthy eliminated second Molla Bahad Khan (WB) 6-3, 4-6, 6-1, while Mohapatra prevailed over qualifier Akasapu Prudhiraj (AP) 6-2, 6-0.
The title winners in each category garnered 15 points, while the runner-up secured 12 points apiece. Tournament superviser Prabin Kumar Nayak gave away mementos at the closing function.
