Poonacha helps Strikers roar back into contention

Niki Poonacha came up with a sterling performance, especially in beating the country’s No.1 Sumit Nagal 12-8, serving thunderbolts, that powered Hyderabad Strikers to a 46-34 victory over Gujarat Panthers

Niki Poonacha came up with a sterling performance, especially in beating the country’s No.1 Sumit Nagal 12-8, serving thunderbolts, that powered Hyderabad Strikers to a 46-34 victory over Gujarat Panthers in the Tennis Premier League here on the charcoal grey courts of the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex on Wednesday.

Ellen Perez gave a strong start for two-time champion Hyderabad with a 13-7 win over Karman Kaur Thandi. She later combined with Saketh Myneni to beat Karman and Mukund Sasikumar 11-9. Niki and Saketh consolidated the position by playing a 10-10 doubles tie against the country’s top two players Sumit and Mukund.

The win brought Hyderabad back in the race for the semifinals, and brought down Gujarat which had led overnight along with Bengal Wizards.

In another match, Arina Rodionova played strong to helped Bengaluru Mavericks to a 44-36 win over Pune Jaguars. Vishnu Vardhan was equally efficient, winning mixed doubles with Arina and doubles with Ramkumar Ramanathan.

Conny Perrin and Arjun Kadhe were instrumental in driving Punjab Tigers past Delhi Binny’s Brigade to a 43-37 victory that put the team on top with 84, one point ahead of Bengaluru.

The results (league):

Hyderabad Strikers bt Gujarat Panthers 46-34 (Ellen Perez bt Karman Kaur Thandi 13-7; Niki Poonacha bt Sumit Nagal 12-8; Ellen & Saketh bt Karman & Mukund Sasikumar 11-9; Niki & Saketh tied Sumit & Mukund 10-10).