Nitin Kirtane in final qualifying round

New Delhi, Sep 28 (UNI) Luck smiled on veteran Nitin Kirtane as he managed to move into the final qualifying round of men's singles in the DSCL National Open tennis championship here today.

On a day when the sun played hide and seek, Nitin, former champion at the DSCL Nationals, was lucky as his opponent N Narender conceded the fourth-round match.

Having been a regular on the domestic circuit for years, Nitin, who had made life tough for younger opponents half his age, now spends more time coaching.

But unlike cousin Sandeep Kirtane, who had applied for a wild card, Nitin decided to take the tough route and is now one step away from qualifying for the main draw.

The final qualifying round match will be played on best of three sets and fitness will be a factor.

Others to enter the penultimate qualifying stage included Ajai Selvaraj, Rohan Gide, Vijay Sunder Prashanth, C Marquis and Delhi's Shivang Mishra.

With rain playing spoilsport towards the evening, some matches had to be postponed till tomorrow.

UNI