Date:03/03/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/03/03/stories/2008030374851900.htm

Sport - Tennis

Sunitha Rao cries foul

BANGALORE: Sunitha Rao, the highest-ranked Indian player (181) on the WTA Tour after Sania Mirza, was disappointed that she had been overlooked for a wild card by the organisers of the Bangalore Open.

Sunitha, who had to slog it out in the qualifying rounds, called the decision “unfair” as she was way ahead of Isha Lakhani (349) and Shikha Uberoi, who is ranked well over 800 on the WTA list. Isha and Shikha have been awarded the two wild cards.

Reacting to Sunitha’s remark, Sunil Yajaman, manager of the Bangalore Open, said: “We, at the KSLTA, had nothing to do with it. As we did not have any Karnataka players who would merit the wild cards, we had asked the AITA to recommend the names.

“It was the AITA which recommended that Shikha and Isha be given wild cards and we have gone by that. For taking decisions like that, the AITA obviously might have had some reason, like the Fed Cup performances,” Yajaman added. — Special Correspondent