India tennis player Ramkumar Ramanathan is on a high. The Indian became the first player in seven years to reach the final of an ATP World Tour event at the Hall of Fame Open in Newport.
The 23-year-old defeated America’s Tim Smyczek 6-4, 7-5 on Saturday.
After the match the Indian said that his urge to fight for every point helped him against the American. “I was really composed today and enjoyed every moment on court and kept going for my shots. I knew Tim Smyczek was a tough player and really solid at the back. I wanted to fight for every point and that worked out.”

Talking about the semi-final, Ramkumar said he was confident ahead of the match and backed his abilities to make in through.

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“Every match is different. Today when we were out there I felt he was nervous. I broke him early which is always good. The flight here helps a lot and the wider side serve gets more bounce.

“The serves, the slices and the volleys all worked out. It is all about the confidence. I am good at the net and I come in a lot so I felt more comfortable. I handled the pressure well and took it in a positive way.”

He added, “I was trying to see where the wind was going. You have to make some adjustments with the wind and against the wind as well. On the first serve I was trying to make the volley so that is what I was working on.”

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With the win, Ramanathan should jump from 161 to 114 in the ATP rankings and could break into the top-100 ranking if he wins the final.

He believes that the experience on playing on the ATP Circuit is finally bearing fruit. “I played a lot of ATP tour matches this year even though I wasn’t winning a lot of games. Emilio Sanchez (coach) was telling me to keep playing the higher tournaments and aim big. He said I have the game and before every match he talks to me, which gives me confidence.”