Vishal Punna stuns 2nd seed Shokeen in ITF Men's Future

Chandigarh, May 30 (UNI) Vishal Punna stole the spotlight as he stunned second seed Vivek Shokeen in singles second-round match of the 10,000 dollar SAIL ITF Men's Futures Tennis Tournament at the CLTA Stadium here today.

Playing under scorching heat, Davis Cupper Vivek Shokeen was outwitted by Punna who rallied from behind to register a 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 upset win in a 114-minute contest which saw both players exchange powerful serves and strokes.

Top seed Karan Rastogi blew hot and cold before overcoming a stiff resistance from unseeded Sanam Singh in three hotly contested sets. Rastogi won 6-1, 6-7 (6), 6-1 in two hours and 24 minutes, Cheered by the home crowd, Sanam roared back after losing the first set by winning the next set in tie-breaker 7-6 (6) to make it one-all. However, seasoned campaigner Rastogi displayed his class by winning the deciding set with ease at 6-1. Rastogi won six games in a row, by breaking his opponent in the third, fifth and seventh games of the decider.

Meanwhile, third seeded Sunil Kumar Sipaeya maintained his winning streak as he defeated qualifier Sharifi Dilshod of Tajkistan in straight sets 6-1, 6-1.

Title favourite Prakash Amritraj had to toil hard against unseeded and never-say-die Vishnu Vardhan before emerging victorious 6-4, 6-4.

In another second round match, Purav Raja beat sixth seed Navdeep Singh 7-5, 4-6, 7-5 in a marathon three hour and 45 minute match, the longest so far in the tournament.

Quarter-final line-up: Karan Rastogi vs Purav Raja; Vijay Kannan vs Tushar Liberhan; Prakash Amritraj vs Sunil Kumar Sipaeya; Vishal Punna vs Aditya Madkekar.

Results: Singles (2nd round): 1-Karan Rastogi (Ind) bt Sanam Singh (Ind) 6-1, 6-7 (6), 6-1; Purav Raja (Ind) bt 6-Navdeep Singh (Ind) 7-5, 4-6, 7-5; 4-Vijay Kannan (Ind) bt Stephen Amritraj (Ind) 6-4, 6-4; WC-Tushar Liberhan (Ind) bt Robert Searle (GBR) 6-1, 6-4; Prakash Amritraj (Ind) bt Vishnu Vardhan (Ind) 4-6, 6-4, 6-4; 3-Sunil Kumar Sipaeya (Ind) bt Q-Dilshod Sharifi (Tjk) 6-1, 6-1; Vishal Punna (Ind) bt 2-Vivek Shokeen (Ind) 4-6, 6-1, 6-4; 7-Aditya Madkekar (Ind) bt Vinod Sridhar (Ind) 6-4, 6-3.

UNI