Uppal, Rushmi emerge champions

New Delhi:

Vishaal Uppal continued his love affair with the R K Khanna Stadium Centre Court to defeat top seed Rohan Bopanna in straight sets and win the men's singles title of the State Bank of Saurashtra National Grass Court tennis championships on Sunday. Uppal produced yet another blemishless display of grass court skills and kept his nerve through two tie-breakers to beat Bopanna 7-6 (7/4) 7-6 (7/4) and lift the R K Khanna Cup. Rushmi Chakravarthy dismantled Isha Lakhani 6-3 6-2 to win the women's singles title. The men's and women's champions earned a main draw wild card into the Chennai Open and Bangalore Open besides a cheque of Rs one lakh and Rs 80,000 respectively. For Bopanna and Isha, a qualifying draw wild card into the same events along with a purse of Rs 60,000 and Rs 50,000 came as some consolation. For the 29-year old Uppal, who has fond memories of the Centre Court stretching back to his Davis Cup doubles win partnering Leander Paes against Korea in 1999, the title triumph helped him maintain an all-win record at the venue. (AP)