Grand double by Nitin Kirtane

Former national champion Nitin Kirtane of Maharashtra scored a grand double in the DSCL National tennis championships, winning the men's singles and doubles titles on Saturday.

In the singles final, Kirtane, seeded No 5, got the better of reigning champion Sunil Kumar 6-1, 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, while in the doubles final, he teamed with Saurav Panja of West Bengal to beat the pair of Rohan Bopanna and Vishal Uppal 7-6 (8), 6-1 and claim the title.

The victory made Kirtane, the 1996 grasscourt and 1998 hardcourt champion, richer by Rs 40,000. Sunil, for his efforts, took home Rs 21,000.

''I was confident from the very beginning. Also, the fact that I had beaten him once helped me lot. My fitness helped me a lot in this victory,'' said Kirtane after his triumph.

He also had a word of praise for the 17-year-old loser. "I would like to give him credit for playing a very good match. He is certainly a player for the future,'' he said.

Sunil had 10 break points but managed to convert only three, while Kirtane had 13 break points of which he converted 8.

Asked whether he ever expected himself to be in the match after winning the third set, a tired-looking Sunil said, ''Though I fancied my chances, it was difficult to match him today. He was playing very well, and especially his backhand slices gave me most of the trouble.''