AITA open tennis: Tejas Chaukulkar’s gritty display ends in straight sets defeat

Returning to courts after three months, Chaukulkar got the 5-4 lead, but his knee did not allow him to run freely on the courts and he surrendered the match.

Playing with an unfit body is generally not preferred by most of the tennis players, but Tejas Chaukulkar did it as he was playing at his home.

Tejas Chaukulkar in action during AITA tennis tournament on Tuesday. (SHANKAR NARAYAN/HT PHOTO)

“I had a knee operation three months back and it is not yet fully recovered. Since I got the main draw entry, I played the tournament,” said city player Chaukulkar who lost 7-5, 6-1 against Kunal Anand of Delhi in the Rs 3 lakh AITA men’s and women’s championship at Poona Club tennis courts on Tuesday.

Returning to courts after three months, Chaukulkar got the 5-4 lead, but his knee did not allow him to run freely on the courts and he surrendered the match. “I was unable to move. He (Kunal) was making me run a lot and my legs gave up in the second set,” said Chaukulkar, who practice on Fergusson College ground.

From April-August, Chaukulkar trains under Julian Gast at TC Mutterstadt in Germany. “Training abroad helps. Every weekend there are club matches and I even travel France to play tournaments,” he said.

It was contrast of two set for Delhi boy Anand. “In the first set it was a bit tough, but then he was struggling with injury so things become easy,” he said.

Local boy Atharva Sharma edged out Denim Yadav 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 7-6 (7-2) in the longest match of the day which lasted over two hours and 30 minutes. Yash Yadav of Madhya Pradesh upset sixth seeded Ishaque Eqbal of West Bengal 3-6, 6-3, 6-0.

Mumbai girl Nitture advance

Akanksha Nitture upset third seeded Sara Yadav of Bhopal 1-6, 6-2, 6-2 to enter quarterfinal in the women category.

Unseeded Sai Avanthika Revanur of Tamil Nadu also entered quarter finals by defeating Nidhi Chilumula of Telangana 6-3, 6-2

Later in the day, Pune girl Tejasvi Kate got better of Arthi Muniyan of Tamil Nadu 4-6, 6-3, 7-5.

Results: (Main Draw)

Men: 1-Suraj Prabodh (Kar) bt q-Kunal Vazirani (Mah) 6-2, 7-6 (7-4); Tarun Chilakalapudi bt q-KS Dheeraj (TN) 3-6, 6-4, 6-3; Yash Yadav (MP) bt 6-Ishaque Eqbal (WB) 3-6, 6-3, 6-0; 4-Jatin Dahiya (Del) bt Parikshit Somani (Asm) 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 7-5; LL-Anvit Bendre (Mah) bt q-Gunjan Jadhav 6-2, 6-4; Shahbaaz Khan (Mah) bt 7-Armaan Bhatia (Mah) 6-3, 6-2; 5-Anurag Nenwani (Del) bt LL-Rohan Bhatia (Mah) 6-7 (7-3), 6-4, 6-1; Atharva Sharma (Mah) bt Denim Yadav 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 7-6 (7-2); 3-Dhruv Sunish (Mah) bt Rishi Reddy (Kar) 6-3, 6-4; q-Arpit Sharma (Raj) bt 8-Faisal Qamar (Raj) 6-3, 2-6, 6-4; Sahil Gaware (Mah) bt Ominder Baisoya (Har) 7-6 (7-3), 6-1; Kunal Anand (Del) bt Tejas Chaukulkar (Mah) 7-5, 6-1.

Women:

Second Round: 1-Vaidehi Chaudari (Guj) bt Avika Sagwal(Del) 6-2, 6-1; 6- Sravya Shivani Chilakalapudi (Tel) bt q-Shreya Tatavarthy (AP) 3-6, 6-1, 6-3; Akanksha Nitture (Mah) bt 3-Sara Yadav (MP) 1-6, 6-2, 6-2; Sai Avanthika Revanur bt 7-Nidhi Chilumula (Tel) 6-3, 6-2; Tejasvi Kate (Mah) bt Arthi Muniyan (TN) 4-6, 6-3, 7-5; 4-Soha Sadiq bt q-Aaliya Ebrahim 6-2, 6-0.