Vishnu sees off Shahbaaz in Futures event

PUNE: Vishnu Vardhan put his Davis Cup experience to good use as he demolished qualifier Shahbaaz Khan in straight sets in the opening round of the $15000 Solaris ITF Futures event on Monday. The 24-year-old Secunberabad-based lad needed just an hour to dispose of Shahbaaz 6-0, 6-2 .
Vardhan, who finished runner-up at the National hardcourt championship in Delhi last month, made his India debut during the World Group play-off against Japan in September following an injury to Somdev Devvarman.The 6 foot 2 inch right-hander lost the reverse singles in straight sets, but the game itself and rubbing shoulders with Grand Slam champions Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi helped him understand his game better.
"Nishikori was the first top-50 player I was playing and the three hours I spent on the court gave me an idea of what it takes to reach that level and also understand my strengths," Vardhan said. "For instance, I served better than him throughout the match. He is small, so naturally he didn't have a great serve. On the other hand I learnt how important it is to take chances on the (opponent's) second serve. These small things make a lot of difference."