Saturday, Apr 12, 2003
Saturday, Apr 12, 2003 |
| Sport | ||
|
News:
Front Page |
National |
Southern States |
Other States |
International |
Opinion |
Business |
Sport |
Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary | Sport
-
Tennis
By Nandakumar Marar
Ludmilla Rozsivalova (left) and Julia Vorobieva strike a pose for the lensmen after claiming the doubles title in the ITF women's Futures in Mumbai on Friday. — Photo: Vivek Bendre
The Uzbek moved within sight of back-to-back singles titles on the International Tennis Federation's women's Futures Circuit Mumbai week after outlasting a chunky challenger from Thailand, Wilawan Choptang, at the Shivaji Park Gymkhana court on Friday. Featuring in the second successive semifinal in the space of a fortnight, Akgul played with a self-imposed restriction, nursing a bandaged serving arm which prevented her from going all out, before winning 6-3, 3-6, 6-4. "I had to make sure not to aggravate the torn muscle, so couldn't serve or hit as powerfully as I wished. Otherwise there is no way Choptang could have taken me to three sets," said the Uzbek, on the verge of exhaustion. She will take on top seed Manisha Malhotra from India in the final, the latter overcoming third seed Sai Jayalakshmy 6-4, 7-6 (7-4). Later in the evening, the Uzbek teamed up with Malaysia's Chin-Bee Khoo in the doubles title clash, but were defeated by a Czech Republic-Russian combination at the SPG court. Ludmila Rozsivalova and Julia Vorobieva, who form a striking pair and play with poise, overwhelmed a spirited show from the Malaysian winning 7-5, 7-5 and taking home $325 per head and six points each. The losing finalists got $175 and four points. The eighth-seeded Choptang, capable of playing intense tennis, kept the favourite on the move for just under two hours, playing to a plan and opening several chinks in Akgul's armour. Choptang's footwork helped overcome lack of reach compared to her huge rival, following up on forehands with slick net forays, getting into position early to hit drop volleys off returns from court corners. The uneven bounce of the SPG court hampered both contestants, the Thai feeling cheated when a few cleverly disguised drops fell short of the net. Akgul was aware of the tricky court, so favoured the slice. "It becomes difficult to return if speed is taken off the ball on these courts when the ball skids or twists off holes, so I banked on the slice as the best way to control volleys and create difficulty for Choptang," observed the fourth seed, sacrificing pace for control and lessening strain on her bandaged right arm. The decider produced an interesting clash of styles. Akgul gained three breaks, compared to two for Choptang but it was the former doing all the running against the skilful Thai, who often set up points through stop volleys after whipping four to five forehands to corners. "She had a definite plan against me and played well. I am tired and could have done without having to play three sets to make the final," said the Uzbek. Manisha Malhotra had plenty to prove, having gone out early last week at CCI despite been given the top seeding. Determined to qualify for the final somehow, she saw Sai Jayalakshmy was a hurdle in her path. The top seed from Mumbai was her assertive self in the first set, winning 6-4 with two service breaks but escaped in the second. At one stage, Sai was 5-3, 40-15 up on serve, when the top seed saved two setpoints. From then on, there was no looking back for Manisha who climbed back to draw level in the 10th before winning the tie-breaker. The results (Indians unless specified): Singles (semifinals): 4-Akgul Amanmuradova (Uzb) bt 8-Wilawan Choptang (Thn) 6-3, 3-6, 6-4; 1-Manisha Malhotra bt 3-Sai Jayalakshmy 6-4, 7-6 (7-4). Doubles: Final: Ludmilla Rozsivalova (Czech Rep) & Julia Vorobieva (Rus) bt A. Amanmuradova (Uzb) & Chin-Bee Khoo (Malaysia) 7-5, 7-5. Semifinals: Rozsivalova & Vorobieva bt Shruti Dhawan & Yael Gliztenshten (Isr) 6-4, 6-3; Amanmuradova & Khoo bt Orawan Lamangthong (Tha) & Geeta Manohar 7-5, 6-4.
Printer friendly
page
News:
Front Page |
National |
Southern States |
Other States |
International |
Opinion |
Business |
Sport |
Miscellaneous |
|
|
|
The Hindu Group: Home | About Us | Copyright | Archives | Contacts | Subscription Group Sites: The Hindu | Business Line | The Sportstar | Frontline | The Hindu eBooks | Home |
Copyright © 2003, The
Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of
this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of
The Hindu
|
