Date:17/03/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/03/17/stories/2008031759231700.htm

Sport - Tennis

Another chance for Sunitha Rao & Co.

Special Correspondent

GREATER NOIDA: It will be another good opportunity for Sunitha Rao and company to establish themselves stronger in the international circuit when the $25,000 ITF women’s tennis tournament kicks off at the Jaypee Greens Sports Complex here on Monday.

The second-seeded Sunitha had looked the best Indian on view last week in the $50,000 tournament. The US-based girl has the game, and a favourable draw, to fare better than the quarterfinal appearance she managed in Delhi. Sunitha had lost to the eventual champion Ekaterina Dzehalevich of Belarus then after squandering a chance to serve out the first set.

Considerable potential

A player of considerable potential, the 22-year-old Sunitha has been grappling with self-doubt in recent times. If she puts her mind to the job and plays freely, she should be able to make light of the challenge from Neha Uberoi in the first round. Sunitha finds the seventh-seeded Sandy Gumulya in her quarter.

Sunitha has perhaps erred in skipping the doubles event for she has a good chance of making the doubles team with Sania Mirza on a wild card at the Beijing Olympics, if she keeps pushing her rank up.

The gutsy Isha Lakhani is the only other Indian to get a direct entry into the singles main draw. She will play the fourth-seeded Chanelle Scheepers of South Africa in the first round.

Three other Indians in the main draw on wild cards, Ankita Bhambri, Sanaa Bhambri and the towering Poojashree Venkatesh, have drawn qualifiers in the first round. They would need to be sharp to capitalise on the good draw.

Unenviable task

The fourth wild card Parija Maloo will have the unenviable task of challenging the fifth-seeded Naomi Cavaday of Britain.

The Fed Cup player Shikha Uberoi, who had played brilliantly in the Asian Games at Doha in 2006 to help the Indian women to the silver medal in the team event along with Sania Mirza, defeated another seasoned professional Rushmi Chakravarthi in the second qualifying round 6-2, 6-3.

The seedings: 1. Yanina Wickmayer (Bel), 2. Sunitha Rao, 3. Margit Ruutel (Est), 4. Chanelle Scheepers (RSA), 5. Naomi Cavaday (GBR), 6. Andrea Hlavackova (Cze), 7. Sandy Gumulya (Ina) and 8. Magda Mihalache (Rou).