Russian second seed Dmitri Vlasov proved too good for India's top-ranked player Rohan Bopanna, winning 6-4, 6-1, to claim the $10,000 ITF Futures men's title at the Delhi Lawn Tennis courts on Saturday.
This was the fifth Futures title for the 305th-ranked Vlasov, who had also qualified for the ATP event at Bastad, Sweden, last year. All his four previous titles had come two years ago. The 20-year-old Russian was ranked as high as 240 before.
For Bopanna, the fifth seed and the highest ranked Indian, this was his fifth appearance in a Futures final. He had won two of the previous four.
With the tournament being equivalent to a $15,000 event, the winner got 18 ITF points and the losing finalist 12.
The match was a wake-up call for the 387th-ranked Bopanna. Till the final he had won comfortably, and barring the semi-final against Harsh Mankad, he was not tested by his opponents.
Against Vlasov today though his weak backhand and inexperienced net play stood exposed. To say that the Russian completely outplayed him would be an understatement.
"I was on the defensive from the beginning. He was hitting flat and hard... and there was no opportunity to attack," a disappointed Bopanna said later.
"I think he also liked my pace. Probably I should have attacked more, when you stand back and just keep hitting it is only going to help the opponent," he added.
The players traded breaks in the first two games but the Indian found himself against the wall in the ninth game when he faced three break-points. He avoided two of them but then, going for a forehand shot off a ball that was not up there, hit it long to concede the game.
Vlasov allowed his next game to go to deuce but managed to hold serve and take the set.
From there on the match swung decisively in the Russian's favour as he attacked Bopanna's backhand repeatedly with his drilling forehands.
"There was not much really I could do. In the first set at least he was missing some shots but in the second he got into a groove and was hitting winners everywhere," Bopanna said.
While Vlasov's forehand was strong, it was his double-fisted back hand that fetched him the break in the very fifth game of the second set.
After going 1-5 down, Bopanna tried to put up a fight in the seventh by attacking the net. But Vlasov's backhand returns were strong and accurate and passed the home favourite on both sides to force another break and the match.
Bopanna will skip the next leg at Johrat, Assam, and return to Bangalore, where he will begin his preparations for the Davis Cup tie against Japan from February 7 to 9.
"I am planning to play the Dubai Open qualifiers, and if I can get through the two rounds, it would help me get valuable ATP points," said Bopanna.