BHUBANESWAR 29-May-2015 22
Odisha ace Chinmay Pradhan’s endeavour to win an AITA men`s singles title outside the state remained unfulfilled as he lost to top seed Tamil Nadu`s Vijay Kannan 2-6, 0-6 in the final of the Rs 1.5 lakh CIRCAR AITA All-India Men`s Ranking Tournament at Town Hall Club in Kakinada (AP) today.
Title winner Kannan collected 25 ranking points along with a cash prize of Rs 19,500, while runner-up Pradhan settled with 20 ranking points and a cash prize Rs 13,500.
Earlier in the semifinals, third seed Pradhan upset local favourite and second seed Srinivas Kondri 6-1, 6-2, while Kannan eliminated fourth seed Yashad Ganatra (Gujarat) 6-3, 6-0. Bhubaneswar-based Pradhan posted three wins to make it to the last-four stage. He first beat his coach Santosh Kumar Mallik 6-4, 6-4 and then prevailed over Ramakrishnan Rangaraju (TN) 6-1, 6-4.
In the quarterfinals, Pradhan came from behind to beat Gujrat`s Jay Soni 3-6, 6-1, 6-3. With this win Pradhan avenged his defeat he suffered against Soni last week at the All-India Men`s Ranking Tournament in Visakhapatnam.
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PHOTO: Title winner Viay Kannan (1st from right) and Chinmay Pradhan (2nd from left) with their trophies in Kakinada on May 29, 2015.
