The Hindu : Tanasugarn takes title

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Feb 09, 2003

Sport

Sport - Tennis

Tanasugarn takes title

By A. Joseph Antony

Tamarine Tanasugarn of Thailand is all smiles after winning the WTA Indian Open singles title defeating Iroda Tulyaganova of Uzbekistan in the final at the SAAP Tennis Complex in Hyderabad on Saturday. — Photo: Mohammad Yousuf

HYDERABAD Feb. 8 . If the excesses of aggression recoil on their perpetrator, Iroda Tulyaganova was a casualty. Her amazing armoury could not thwart a 4-6, 4-6 defeat by Tamarine Tanasugarn in the WTA Indian Open final on the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh (SAAP) tennis complex's centre court here on Saturday.

Iroda's pace was hot, her drops downright, her returns spiced with so much variety, at least initially. That she had Tanasugarn for a contender, who never gave up trying, was the problem.

Wrenching Tanasugarn's serve in the third game of the first set itself, revealed a penchant to break free from the baseline bashing. Iroda won that game on a drop and lob exchange. The next four games went with serve until Tanasugarn desisted from errors, while Iroda fell prey to them, dropping serve on the eighth.

While Tanasugarn hardly rose and shone with aces, the number of service winners piled up steadily. With amazing control, the second seed steered the ball in, come what may. And as Iroda's game crumbled, Tanasugarn consolidated hers.

Not one to make the 100 m squad, Tanasugarn conserved her best for the crucial stages. Little surprise then that she turned the contest around towards the tail end of the first set.

In the second, the trend was similar, Tanasugarn spilling the first game on serve. While she aimed to avoid errors, Iroda sought to slam the winners.

The Thai player's service packed more punch, some of which Iroda intercepted well. Alongside, Tanasugarn paused a wee bit to deploy a precise placement, this device far more rewarding against the big-built Uzbek.

Time and again Tanasugarn wrong-footed Iroda, who arrived late for the attacking ball, spraying it out of bounds often. On other occasions, Iroda reacted too swiftly, her returns reeling and straying too. The descending sphere was in tune with Tanasugarn's scheme of things.

A visibly tired Tanasugarn described the encounter as tough, what with Iroda playing well. Her own serves were better and as for tactics, she just tried to `hang in there.' The first WTA title had a sweet feel to it.

Asked how she managed to turn the game around in her favour, Tanasugarn said she kept trying for every point and played definitely more offensive today. The start was slow, since she had little to lose, vanquished by Iroda in the final of the Busan Asian Games.

Victory in the 82-minute showdown was her springboard to the next round of action in Doha, Qatar.

The results (final):

Singles: 2-Tamarine Tamasugarn (Tha) bt 5-Iroda Tulyaganova (Uzb) 6-4, 6-4.

Doubles: Elena Likhovtseva (Rus) & Iroda Tulyaganova (Uzb) bt Evgenia Koulikovskaya (Rus) & Tatiana Poutchek (Bel) 6-4, 6-4.

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