Natasha, Vishwakarma enter Fenesta Nationals final for first time

Siddharth Vishwakarma unleashed his power-packed game to dominate Nitin Sinha while Natasha Palha made a remarkable turn around to knock out top seed Zeel Desai as the two players entered their maiden final at the Fenesta Open National Tennis Championships here on Friday.

Left-handed Vishwakarma overpowered talented Sinha 6-3 6-2 in the men's singles semifinal, in which he stood out with his feisty ground strokes.

To his credit, Sinha tried to slow down the game but there was no stopping Vishwakarma, who overpowered his rival with ease.

Vishwakarma, who belongs to Varanasi and trains under Kamlesh Shukla in Lucknow, has only recently recovered from a throat infection that made him bed-ridden for six months.

"I could not play for eight months after getting my tooth removed. The infection spread, not allowing me to play. I was confident at least to make the finals here, if not win it. I am pleased with the consistency with which I played in this tournament," Vishwakarma said.

Talking about his game, the 23-year-old said he likes to play with heavy spin from the baseline but would work to add variations like serve and volley.

"I covered the court well today. Slow courts suit me. I just need to consistent in the final."