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Sharan-Prakash triumph in Osaka
October 11, 2003 18:47 IST
Divij Sharan and Arun Prakash clinched the doubles title in the ITF Grade A tennis tournament in Osaka, Japan on Saturday.
The Indian duo upset top seeds Lachlan Fergusson of Australia and Todd Joel Kerley of USA 7-6(7/4), 7-6 (7/5) after a tough fight.
The last Indian duo to reach the final of a Grade A tennis event was Mahesh Bhupathi and Nitin Kirtane, who reached the Junior Wimbledon doubles final in 1992.
But in the boys' singles final, fourth seed Karan Rastogi lost to Australian Open junior champion Marcos Bhagdatis of Cyprus.
After losing the first set to Bhagdatis 5-7, Rastogi came back brilliantly, winning the second 7-6(7/4). But her faded away in the decider, losing 1-6.
"He raised his game so well that I didn't have an answer for that. I am happy that I played well today and this tournament has been a good experience for me," Rastogi said.
Rastogi is the first Indian after Leander Paes to make it to the final four in a Grade 'A' event.