Carmel's Ram Makes Mark at Wimbledon, Again in Newport
Rajeev Ram is a many splendored thing: Indian American, Denver born, Carmel based, and confident in his work on the heels of narrowly losing to the No. 2 doubles team in men’s professional tennis worldwide at Wimbledon last week. Ram and partner Scott Lipsky came close to upending brothers Bob and Mike Bryan, arguably the best pro doubles tandem ever, in London, losing in five sets.
#Wimbledon: No. 2 team Bob & Mike Bryan beat #Indy‘s Rajeev Ram & partner Scott Lipsky. Quarterfinal score: 5-7, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4.
— Jonathan Scott (@jonscott9) July 5, 2012
This week, Ram remains on grass courts, but this time, it’s stateside—in Newport, Rhode Island, at the Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships. He won the event’s singles and doubles titles both in 2009, and he’ll face 2002 Wimbledon winner Lleyton Hewitt of Australia in the singles semifinals on Saturday. American 20-year-old Ryan Harrison and Germany’s Benjamin Becker square off in the other semifinal match. Both are televised starting at 2 p.m. (EST) on Tennis Channel.
Ram actually beat Hewitt last year, at the Atlanta pro event that joined the calendar for the ATP Tour (Association of Tennis Professionals) in 2010 after the Indianapolis ATP tournament folded in December 2009. Here’s a clip:
The Indianapolis Tennis Championships, the last iteration of which was held here in July 2009, may be in the city’s rearview, but that doesn’t mean that the sport is dead locally, let alone at the highest level at which it can be played. Ram is making sure of that.
YOUR TURN: Do you miss the men’s pro tennis event here in Indy?
Photo via Rajeev Ram’s Facebook page
