Ketan Panat and Sahil Kapoor celebrate victory. Photo: Oliver Jacques.
Two visiting medical students who had barely picked up a racquet until this year will have their names written on the Griffith Tennis Club honours board, after taking out the B-grade men’s doubles title at the 2022 Griffith Tennis Championship.
Ketan Panat, 23, and Sahil Kapoor, 24, did what’s known in the Australian sporting vernacular as ‘a Bradbury’ – a reference to speed skater Steve Bradbury winning a gold medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics after his opponents crashed in to each other just before the finish line.
The students, originally from Tamworth, were awarded the doubles crown without playing a single match, because nobody else turned up in their B-grade subdivision.
Club president Danny Dossetor confirmed in early December that their achievement would stand, despite the fact they didn’t actually play anyone. This means the students will have their names placed in club records alongside tennis greats such as Nick Kyrgios, a semi-finalist at Griffith competitions in 2009 and 2010.
“I feel pretty good about our win. I’m really keen to make it on to the next step – to face Nick Kyrgios,” Mr Panat said.
The event was held on 21 October, during a week of heavy flooding across the Riverina. It was wet most of the day but while rain held off for the duration of the tournament, many participants wrongly assumed it would be cancelled.
Mr Panat also offered tips to younger players hoping to emulate his achievement.
“Make sure you rock up to comps when the rain is about to fall. Because other players may not rock up and you’ll win.”
Mr Kapoor said: “I’m so glad we came that day, we practised a bit beforehand. It helped.”
Mixed doubles champion Xavier Boucher often brings cake to his matches. Photo: Oliver Jacques.
The B-grade champions have been living in Griffith for six months. They are halfway though student placements at Griffith Base Hospital as part of their medical degrees at the University of Wollongong.
“We bounce around the hospital but we are generally in the emergency department on the general practice,” Mr Kapoor said.
He said coming to Griffith was an easy choice.
“We heard that the teaching out here is amazing. A lot of the teaching for medical students is a really high standard. The surrounding areas, the wineries to visit and the community. Past students who have come here said the people are awesome to meet and awesome to mingle with and it’s a great placement.”
The other events on championship night were better attended. Danny Dossetor took out the A-grade men’s doubles with schoolteacher Lachlan Date, while Frenchman Xavier Boucher won the A-grade mixed doubles with veteran Barb Evans.
Mr Boucher was speechless at his success.
“I don’t know what to say … I didn’t throw my racquet this time, why does everyone ask me this?”
The Frenchman is known for his lethal forehand and great culinary skills, often baking cakes and bringing them to the court to share with those he has beaten.
The Griffith Tennis Championship is an annual event held in October or November each year.
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