Sarasota Open Provides Chappidi Brothers With A Lucky Bounce

LONGBOAT KEY - Vamsee Chappidi knew there was one person who could not tell him no.

When Chappidi found out that his doubles partner would not be available to play in the qualifying portion of the 2011 Sarasota Open, he did a little bit of scrambling before deciding that it was time for his little brother to play against professionals. There was a little resistance from 15-year-old Siddhartha, but not enough to stymie a string of good fortune and the experience of a lifetime.

“I told (Siddhartha) that he had no other choice and to get his butt out here to play doubles,” 18-year-old Vamsee said. “It was as simple as that. There was no choice.”

Unsure of even gaining a spot in qualifying, the Bradenton-based doubles team could not have foreseen what would transpire in the ATP Challenger Tour Event at the Tennis Gardens at the Longboat Key Club & Resort. They figured that there was no possible way of gaining entry into the main draw of 16 doubles teams after being eliminated in qualifying.

Then, a pair of teams withdrew and the Chappidis gained “lucky losers” status.

It was a brand they wore proudly until suffering a 6-2, 6-0 to the team of Canadian Pierre-Ludovic Duclos and Bosnian-American Amer Delic in Thursday’s quarterfinals. For their efforts, the Chappidi brothers gained 17 points toward the world doubles rankings.

“We played well, but they’re good,” Vamsee said. “They got fortunate with all the deciding points. That helps. They didn’t really miss. They made a lot of first serves and easy volleys. They just played high-percentage doubles.”

In order to get to the quarterfinals, the Chappidis had to contend with the Japanese duo of Ryotero Matsumura and Naoki Nakagawa in the first round. Matsumura and Nakagawa were the other alternate team selected to play in the main draw of the tournament.

In match that could have went in either team’s favor, the Chappidis pulled out a 7-5, 7-6 (7) victory.

“We got the ‘lucky loser’ and we played another ‘lucky loser’ team to pick up our first points,” Vamsee said. “A bad tournament turned out to be a lucky tournament. Getting the ‘lucky loser’ and playing another ‘lucky loser’ is pretty lucky.”

Obviously proud of the way Siddhartha played, Vamsee still could not stop himself from taking a couple of good-natured shots at his younger brother’s soft-spoken and modest demeanor. Siddhartha may stand one-half of an inch taller thanks to a recent growth spurt, but Vamsee wants to make it clear that he is still the big brother.

“The little brat got (ATP) points, but he’s not very excited about it,” Vamsee said. “He should jump out of the walls. There are two 15-year-old kids in the world with points, and he’s one of them. He’s just quiet and shy about it.”

The brothers were born in India and moved to Houston 12 years ago when their father, who is a software engineer, took a new job. Having been introduced to tennis in Houston, they moved to the Sarasota-Bradenton area six years ago to train at the IMG Bollettieri Tennis Academy.

For the last five years, the Chappidis have trained at the Longwood Athletic Club’s Next Generation Tennis Academy in North Sarasota. Vamsee has battled a rash of injuries throughout the years, but he has been healthy since January.

“You got about 45 minutes for me to explain everything?” Vamsee said when asked about the injuries. “I have injured everything. I’ve broken arms and shoulders and had stress fractures. I’ve hurt my back. You name it from head to toe. When I was (Siddhartha’s) age, I grew 10 inches in a six-month period. That had a lot to do with it.”

Siddhartha’s recent growth spurt has led to some injuries, but he still plans to continue competing on the junior circuit. Vamsee, who dropped a 6-2, 6-0 decision to American Alex Bogomolov Jr. in the first round of the Sarasota Open’s main singles draw, will soon head to Mexico to continue playing professional events.

While there are more memories to be made on the court, the Chappidi brothers will never forget their four days at the Sarasota Open.

“To pick up your first (ATP) points with your brother is pretty cool,” Vamsee said. “You don’t see people do that very often.”