Friday, Nov 29, 2002
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Tennis
By Nandakumar Marar
Tzipi Obziler of Israel executes a forehand return against Germany's Varana Marie Beller in their quarterfinal encounter of the ITF women's tennis tournament in Mumbai on Thursday. — Photo: Vivek Bendre
A combination of grit and staying power makes the fourth seed from Czech Republic the focus of attention, never mind a lithe frame and vocal outbursts. And her 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 victory over sixth seed Kim Jin-Hee on Thursday confirmed a singles semifinals berth for her in the $25,000 International Tennis Federation Women Circuit's Mumbai leg. The cheeky Czech is pitted against top seed Tzipi Obziler for one of the two final places. The manner in which Dominika has been turning adversity into advantage puts her in a state of mind when she appears confident of taking on all comers. The Israeli, ranked a high 188th, appears the underdog even after an easy 6-3, 6-0 quarterfinal victory over Germany's Varana Marie Beller in one of the four singles matches played on Thursday. Thailand's unseeded Suchanan Viratprasert faces Germany's Adriana Barna, seeded third, in the second semifinals. Dominika has been on court for five hours over two days--almost three hours against Sania Mirza before sneaking through in the decider on Wednesday followed by a two-hour plus battle against Kim in the quarterfinals. The funny part is that the Czech's enthusiasm for hard work remains unaffected by all the rallying, end-to-end running she has been forced to put in. Kim began with a flourish, going 3-0 up in the first set aided by two breaks but that was all. The fourth seed pocketed the next six games in a row to close out the set at 6-3. The chunky sixth seed from Korea is a big server, has the legs and strokes to engage in long rallies but found it difficult to keep the ball out of Dominika's range. The Czech just refused to give up, running all over just to keep the ball in play, varying the pace and capitalising on slightest of errors. Long rallies marked each point won or lost, the Czech gaining the upper hand due to the sheer intensity she brings into the game. Even the MSLTA ball boys and line judges have begun to appreciate her die-hard approach despite being the target of her ire. At this rate, top seed Obziler may be the next casualty. The Israeli showed little of class or craft against an error-prone Beller, though winning in just 54 minutes. Later in a game played under floodlights, Germany's Adriana Beller survived a nasty fall and many nerve-wracking moments before quelling the challenge from Thailand's Nataporn Tongsalee in three sets. The ITF Mumbai leg is sponsored and organised by MSLTA. The results: women's singles quarterfinals: 4-Dominika Luzarova (Czech Republic) bt 6-Kim Jin-Hee (South Korea) 6-3, 4-6, 7-5; 1-Tzipi Obziler (Israel) bt Varana Marie Beller (Germany) 6-3, 6-0; Suchanan Viratprasert (Thailand) bt Scarlett Werner (Ger) 6-0, 6-1; 3-Adriana Barna (Ger) bt Napaporn Tongsalee (Thailand) 6-3, 7-6 (4). Women's doubles semifinals: Olena Antypina (Ukraine)/Dominika Luzarova (Cze) bt Chantal Coombs (Great Britain)/Karen Paterson (Gbr) 6-1, 3-6, 6-3; Jolanda Mens/Andrea van den Hurk (The Netherlands) 6-2, 6-2; Katarina Daskovic (Yug)/Tzipi Obziler (Isr) bt Kyung-Mi Chang/Kim Jing-Hee (Kor) 4-6, 7-6, 6-1.
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