Thursday, May 29, 2003
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Tennis
By Kamesh Srinivasan
Isha Lakhani, who beat Sonal Phadke in the semifinals of the $5000 ITF women's Masters tournament, in New Delhi on Wednesday.
Stroking with considerable resolve, and pulling herself up when her form sagged, the 18-year-old Isha scored a 6-2, 7-5 victory over Sonal Phadke in the $5000 ITF women's circuit tennis Masters quarterfinals at the DLTA Complex here on Wednesday. Having lost to Sonal last week in the semifinals, Isha was clear that she would not give an inch this day. Yet, there were moments of uncertainty for the talented left-hander, who has a deft touch to complement her attacking style of play, especially in the second set. Sonal was up 5-3 and serving for the second set. But she could not put together a good game at that crucial juncture, nor could she make a meaningful challenge in the next three when she hardly won a point or two. While Isha played a crafty game, mixing her strokes and being that much quicker on her feet, hitting the flanks to exasperate Sonal, the latter lacked the punch and depth in her strokes to make much headway. ``I was not that aggressive in the second set. I was up 3-2 and allowed her to get back into the match by losing the next three games. Anyway, I am happy with the overall game I played,'' said Isha, who won the title in the first leg at Indore, beating Shruti Dhawan in the final, but has since been struggling to match that fare. Isha will meet Shruti Dhawan in the semifinal this time, and said that she was prepared to play her best. Shruti herself was in fine form as she recovered from a sedate start to dictate terms, as of yore, against Archana Venkataraman. The Chandigarh girl played a lot sharper than she has done in the entire circuit so far, perhaps because of the presence of her father in the stands. Shruti slipped to 1-3 after being broken in the third game, but reeled off the next nine games with an authentic display of forceful tennis. Playing with considerable patience and hitting her strokes with relish, Shruti did not give much of a chance for Archana to find her way back. Shruti finished in style hitting a forehand down the line to set up a matchpoint and smacked a forehand crosscourt to bring the curtains down on Archana's challenge. ``I was making a few silly mistakes initially. I knew that my dad would not approve of them. So, I started playing better, cutting down on the flashy strokes. It worked,'' said Shruti, who had won the Masters title in the first circuit held in 1998. Looking ahead at the clash against Isha, the 21-yar-old said that she would be better prepared to face her this time. ``Isha is a very consistent player. I need to be patient and play my game. I hope to do that,'' said Shruti. The third-seeded Ankita Bhambri was well challenged by Madura Ranganathan in a baseline battle, in which both hit some sound strokes. However, it was Ankita, playing with a higher degree of confidence, who managed to pull through in straight sets. Madura was understandably tired towards the end, and was hardly able to move into her strokes. Yet, the 14-year-old Coimbatore girl has done well in the circuit, to collect two WTA points and $225. The experience would help her play better in the ITF junior circuit, and come back stronger into the women's tournaments next time. Ankita will meet the top-seeded Liza Pereira in her semifinal. Liza did not waste much time as she beat Kamini Murugaboopathy for the loss of two games. Once she dropped serve in the first game on the fourth breakpoint with a doublefault, Kamini conceded the psychological edge to Liza. While Liza tightened her game, Kamini was unable to put up a good fight, perhaps because she was also tired after a string of long matches. Kamini saved a few breakpoints in the third and fifth games, but she could not stop Liza from clinching those breaks and running away with the first set. In fact, Liza won the first nine games and then only allowed two token games for her challenger, who had given her a harrowing time the last time the two met. ``I expected a tough match after beating her 7-6 and 7-5 in the second leg. She was quite erratic today,'' said Liza. Top seed Liza who has done very well in the circuit with a title, a final and a semifinal appearance in the first three legs said that she was at her energetic best to tackle the challenge in the rounds ahead. ``I feel strong and hope to play my best game,'' said Liza. With the top four seeds in action in the semifinals, it should be a lively affair, on the morrow. In the doubles semifinals, Shruti Dhawan and Sheethal Goutham avenged their defeat in the final of the third leg, by beating Ankita Bhambri and Sonal Phadke in three sets. The top seed Sheethal and Shruti were hampered midway through the second set as the former felt increasing pain in her sore back. After medical attention, Sheethal played a lot better in the third set. The results: singles: quarterfinals: Liza Pereira bt Kamini Murugaboopathy 6-0, 6-2; Ankita Bhambri bt Madura Ranganathan 6-4, 6-3; Shruti Dhawan bt Archana Venkataraman 6-3, 6-2; Isha Lakhani bt Sonal Phadke 6-2, 7-5. Doubles (semifinals): Shruti Dhawan/Sheethal Goutham bt Ankita Bhambri/Sonal Phadke 6-4, 3-6, 6-3; Isha Lakhani/Liza Pereira bt Anupama Rajur/Chirashanti Rajur 6-3, 5-7, 6-1.
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