Back in style.....Ganesh triumphs over Arthur

Thiyagarajan Ganesh Vs. Arthur Aung

Under blue skies and the pennants flying high, defending champion Thiyagarajan " Ganeshito" Ganesh took on Arthur " The Hun" Aung in a game that promised to be anything but friendly. Last year, Arthur had succumbed 6-0 6-0 to Ganesh in the Group stages but now he is looking for a much better performance. Ganesh, on his part, is making his tournament debut this year and admitted himself that he was very rusty from the long layoff.

Before the game, all the buzz was about Arthurs comments to the media. In a pre-match interview, Arthur admitted that this game represented a do or die situation for him since he has to beat Ganesh to stay alive in the tournament. He also reiterated his belief that Ganesh was a waning force and Arthur had the full capability to upset the cart. Ganesh just replied that he wanted to just beat Arthur and open his account in the tournament.

Ganesh opened up the proceedings by serving and it was apparent that he was extremely ring rusty as he uncharacteristically got broke on double faults to hand the opening game to Arthur. That should have made Arthurs confidence soar but instead Ganesh got his act straight and took the next 3 games without dropping a single point.Arthur rallied back to win the next game, 3-2. Ganesh was starting to sweat. The feeling didnt last long as Ganesh smashed Arthur to round off the set 6-2.

The second set was a totally different game though. Ganesh broke Arthur early on lead 2-0 and it looked as if Arthur was going to throw in the towel.Somehow Arthur came from 40-0 love down in the 3rd game to win on deuce and make it 3-1. But Ganesh held on for an easy 4-1 lead. It was game,set and match to Ganesh as the Burmese flags were flying at half mast but wait......is it a bird, is it a plane, no its..its.... Artie.....

Arthur once again held his serve to make it 4-2 but found himself on the brink when Ganesh blasted ace upon ace to stand at 5-2. When Arthur served erratically, Ganesh found the opening to make it 40-0 and 3 match points. Arthur though suddenly woke up. Kinda like waking up a dormant monster that has lain low for centuries at the bottomless pit of the deepest trench of the pacific ocean and which can destroy all the japanese and allied ships and.....ok, he is a Godzilla.And whoa, did he breathe fire. Arthur came back and held on for his 3rd serve game to make it 5-3 and then.......he broke Ganesh and moved to within 5-4. By now, Ganesh was actively drying his headband from all the cold sweat breaking out on his forehead. The comeback definitely sent a chill down upon everyones back. Alfred was seen in the stands taking his shirt off and plunging into the nearest fountain to cool himself off. Arthur though was completely oblivious by this time to everything. His eyes were focused on his prey, Ganesh that is. And when he smashed his way to another brilliant game, suddenly we were staring at a monumental upset in the making. Even the president of the Blue Ash tennis association was seen gaping in shock.

5-5! How could Ganesh lose his composure like that. Well, he eventually calmed himself down and held his serve to make it 6-5 and then blasted Arthur to finally break him and close the game at 7-5. Final score: 6-2 7-5 to Ganesh, though a standing ovation for Arthur for his brave resistance.

Ganesh now holds second spot in the Group behind I-Mam on games won but as I-Mam is likely to be scratched from the tournament for slack attitude, Ganesh is on course for winning the group. Arthur on the other hand, may still make the semis if I-Mam doesnt make it and as expected, Daitan fails to show up for any game.

I-Mam receives abuse from fans

In a dramatic development, local fans have been threatening Robert I-Mam because of his lax attitude to the tournament. it is understood that I-Mam has told his personal circle that he'd rather be at the beach than play in the tournament. There has been no official explanation for his absence from the tournament and signs that he wont be back before the end of the May 11 deadline suggest that he is done with the tournament. On May 11, he will be officially scratched from the tournament.

Final week

The final week of the group stages is on us and so far, after a sensational start to the groups, things have petered out. Disappointingly, there have been no games for 2 weeks now and the prospects of players completing all their 3 games looks bleak.Lets analyze the situation:

Group A

So far, I-Mam is the only one who has a single victory in this section. Defending champ Ganesh has been the biggest disappointment, having failed to play a single game so far. He now has 6 days to finish all 3 games, a tall order. He is likely to play Arthur on tuesday and a win for Ganesh will set him up for a semifinal appearance. If Arthur beats him, it might be curtains for Ganesh. One complicating factor will be I-Mam not playing any games since his win over Arthur. So technically, if Ganesh loses to Arthur but is willing to play I-Mam who likely might fail to show up, Ganesh might qualify for semis by virtue of I-Mam scratching from the tournament itself. Every player has to play at least 2 games in group stages to not be a scratch. I-Mam is odds on to be a scratch because of his unwillingness to play. Very disappointing considering his overall good display in the tournament.That leaves Daitan who increasingly appears to be out of contention not having played a single game and looking unlikely to step onto a field. So its likely Ganesh and Arthur will go through to the semifinals as I-Mam and Daitan are on the verge of scratching.

Group B
The situation in group B is a little better. Mudassir has 1 win under his belt but will likely play Alfred on thursday to at least complete 2 games. So will Alfred ,who having lost his opening game to Dr. Barreau, looked likely on the edge of crashing out early but now has a lifeline because Dr. Barreau himself is close to scratching as he has also has failed to play a single game since his win over Alfred and seems increasingly unlikely to play any further part in the tournament. Nauman is going to face Alfred on wednesday and if he beats Alfred, has a chance of claiming a place in semis. looks unlikely though. So Mudassir and Alfred look likely to qualify at this stage.

So what had started as a very promising tournament has gradually become an after thought. Realistically only 5 players are in it at this point. But the tournament goes on into its final week...deadline day is 11th May.