Rajawat cruises into Orleans Masters final

ORLEANS (FRANCE): India’s Priyanshu Rajawat stormed into the men’s final of the Orleans Masters Super 300 with a straight-game demolition of Ireland’s Nhat Nguyen in the semi-finals here on Saturday.

The 21-year-old Rajawat, ranked 58th, dished out an attacking game to outplay the World No.35 Nguyen 21-12, 21-9 in a lop-sided match and progress to his maiden final of a Super 300 world tour event. Rajawat was sharp at the net and precise in his returns. He exploited his opponent’s forehand and the Indian’s flat drives and cross court-flicks troubled Nguyen, who committed a lot of errors.

After holding a slender two-point lead at the mid-game interval of the opener, Rajawat extended the cushion to six points at 17-11. The in-form Rajawat clinched 10 game points when Nguyen hit out of bounds and then sealed the first game with a precise return on his rival’s forehand.

In the second game, Rajawat picked up from where he left off while the Irishman huffed and puffed across the court. The Indian secured an eight-point advantage at the mid-game break, leaving his opponent in deep water. Nguyen committed far too many errors and let Rajawat move to 18-3 in a jiffy.

The Indian then bagged 14 match points after delivering a flat cross-court return. Nguyen saved three match points before Rajawat unleashed another attacking return to complete the job.