The men’s tennis draw for BOSM 2017 has been divided into two pools of four teams each. Top two teams from each pool clear the group stages and qualify for the semi-finals.

The BITS Pilani A started on Day 1 against a visiting Manipal Team, winning the tie 2-0 in a best-of-three match format. BITS A’s first singles player Roshan Roy started strong, hitting the ball cleanly on both forehand and backhand wings. While his opponent struggled for form, BITS raced to a 3-0 lead in the first set in the first twenty minutes. Manipal’s player seemed unable to convert his steady hitting form during practice to match play, in which he appeared fidgety.

The fourth game appeared to slightly tilt the momentum in the set; a 16 shot rally that could have swung both ways ended in an unforced slice error from Roshan, much to the delight of the Manipal bench. The revival proved to be too late in the set however, as back-to-back backhand errors in the cost Manipal the first set, 4-1.

Manipal came out swinging in the next set, holding serve in two consecutive service games. Rallies steadily grew in length and the 10am heat certainly wasn’t helping the situation. Despite glimpses of a possible comeback, an untimely double-fault from Manipal in the fifth game swung the set in BITS’ favour. Leading 3-2, Roshan closed the match with clinical service accuracy to score a 4-1 4-2 first win.

Surakshit Soni and Ajinkya Vyas stepped on court for BITS’ doubles encounter. The 4-0 4-0 win emphasised the domination and superior match temperament of last year’s silver medallists. Big serving and deft net play from the experienced duo proved to be the differentiating factor between the teams. Nothing seemed to be working in Manipal’s favour; they were unable to pass the net player on return of serves, they failed to maintain an effective second serve percentage and their serve-and-volley gameplay was executed poorly.

Having completed a routine yet important first match win, BITS Pilani now faces BITS Goa on Day 2.