CHANDIGARH: Local favourites third seed Sunil Kumar Sipaeya and Tushar Liberhan bowed out of the singles competitons in the SAIL $ 10,000+Hospitality ITF Men's Futures Tennis Tournament at the Sector 10 Tennis Stadium here today.

However, one of them will certainly win the doubles title tomorrow. Sunil and partner Stephen Amritraj and Tushar and Navdeep Singh qualified for the doubles final to be played tomorrow.

Showing good match tamperament and stamina,  817th ranked Prakash Amritraj upset third seed left-handed 655th ranked Sunil Kumar Sipaeya in the singles quarter-final  in three sets.
 
Lanky Prakash rallied to down Sunil Kumar, a former trainee of CLTA Rural Scheme,6-7 (4), 7-5, 6-2 in 161 minutes. Both players unleashed six aces each. Sunil Kumar committed nine double faults and Prakash six.

At the Centre Court Number 2, fourth seeded Vijay Kannan (739th ranked) was extended to three sets by wild card and 1245th ranked Tushar Liberhan, a former CLTA trainee. In a 125-minute tussle, Vijay Kannan won 6-2, 3-6, 6-2.A frustrated Tushar lost his cool in the third set (2-4) as he hit the ball in the stands after committing a double fault and break of serve. Tushar made three double faults in the sixth game. In all the number of doubles faults committed by him was seven. He had a solitary ace to his credit. Vijay Kannan fired eight aces.

Top seeded Karan Rastogi (398th) was also extended to three sets by unseeded and 882nd ranked Purav Raja on Centre Court No. 1. Trailing by one set, Rastogi staged rally in a majestic style to record a 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 win in two hours and 23 minutes.
982nd ranked and unseeded Vishal Punna today shocked seventh seed Aditya Madkekar 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 in one hour and 59 minutes. Punna on Wednesday had upset second seeded Vivek Shokeen.

In the semi-final matchs, top seed Karan Rastogi will cross swords with seed Vijay Kannan and Prakash Amritraj will face Vishal Punna.

Local supporters were delighted as Sunil Kumar won the first set in tie-breaker at 7-6 (4). Sunil just managed to hold his serve in the second game of the first set despite firing two aces and one double fault. Sunil was broken in the fourth game as Prakash got 4-1 lead after holding his serve.

With locals vociferously cheering the former CLTA trainee, Sunil broke Prakash in the ninth game to make it 5-all. In the tie-breaker, Sunil won at 7-4.

Sunil and Prakash exchanged breaks in the first two games and then fourth and fifth games of the second set. Sunil was then broken in the 11th game as Prakash led 6-5 with his serve to follow. Prakash won the set 7-5.

Prakash was in total control in the third set. Serving and hitting with power, Prakash won five games in a row, with  breaks in the fifth and seventh games. Top seeded pair of Stephen Amritraj and Sunil Kumar Sipaeya will challenge unseeded pair of Tushar Liberhan and Navdeep Singh in the doubles final. 
 
Amrtiraj-Sunil outplayed fourth seeded pair of Vivek Shokeen and Sanam Singh in stragiht sets 6-4, 6-1. In the secnd semi-final, Tushar Liberhan and Navdeep upset second seeded Sandeep Kirtane and Purav Raja 6-3, 6-3.
 
According to CLTA chairman Rajan Kashyap, Doordarshan will live telecast the doubles final tomorrow and the singles final on Saturday on the national hook-up.
 
Results: Singles (QFs): 1-Karan Rastogi bt Purav Raja 2-6, 6-2, 6-4; 4-Vijay Kannan bt Tushar Liberhan  6-2, 3-6, 6-2; Prakash Amritraj  bt 3-Sunil Kumar Sipaeya 6-7 (4), 7-5, 6-2; Vishal Punna bt 7-Aditya Madkekar 4-6, 6-3, 7-5.
 
Doubles (semi-finals): 1-Stephen Amritraj and Sunil Kumar Sipaeya bt 4-Vivek Shokeen and Sanam Singh 6-4, 6-1; Tushar Liberhan and Navdeep Singh bt 2-Sandeep Kirtane and Purav Raja 6-3, 6-3.