The Hindu : Sunitha to meet Shuai

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Feb 23, 2002

Sport

Sport - Tennis

Sunitha to meet Shuai
By Nandakumar Marar

MUMBAI, FEB. 22. Sunitha Rao, just another Indian name in the singles draw a week ago alongside an assortment of other nationalities, is now the player to beat. The eighth seed won her fourth match in a row, downing fifth seed Camilla Kremer 6-2, 6-3 on Friday, to clinch a place in the $10,000 International Tennis Federation's Women's Futures final.

China's unseeded Shuai Peng is the other contender for the title after a hard-earned 1-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3 win over sixth seed Suchanan Viratprasert of Thailand in the first semifinals.

Viratprasert also featured in the women's doubles final, partnering Chinese Taipei's Hsiao-Han Chao but ended up on the losing side against the fourth seeded pair Dominika Luzarova (Czech Republic)/Annabel Blow (Great Britain), who won 6-4, 6-3 to share Rs. 30,000 and five points. The runners-up earned Rs. 16,380 and four points.

The Mumbai leg is being organised by the Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association.

The singles title clash is a potentially exciting one, both survivors having made to fight all the way. The fluency factor in Sunitha's play was on the low side, unforced errors on the high side than before, making it difficult for her to quell her Luxembourg rival, whose 374th rank has more to do with steadiness rather than brilliance.

Fortunately for the 16-year-old American-Indian, Camilla failed to string together enough points in the second set to manage a turnaround, nor did she show the ability to finish off rallies after having done the hard work. Sunitha who encountered her toughest match of the Mumbai Futures so far, at times looked beaten but stuck to her aggressive game, attacking every return and keeping Camilla on the run with her superior shot-making ability. After breezing through the first set at 6-3, aided by breaks in the fifth, seventh and winning five games in a row, the 16-year-old encountered turbulence in the second set to trail 0-2, down a break.

The match could have swung either way at this stage, but Sunitha did not know the meaning of retreat. A break back in the third game was just the respite she was looking for, chasing down balls with unmatched frenzy, on the lookout for a winner off every return. She won the fourth game at love on serve, then faced three breakpoints in the sixth at 0-40, won the next three to take the game to deuce before Camilla broke through for the second time in the set, now level at 3-3.

The seventh game swung the eighth seed's way, shattering the fourth seed's resolve and when Sunitha served an ace in the eighth, a turnaround seemed on the cards, but Camilla seemed strangely reluctant to seize the initiative. Two double- faults, the last one on matchpoint, showed her state of mind. The American-Indian must be relieved at her good fortune.

Peng's display in the semifinals did not enthuse coach Pang Bing, a two-time Asian Games men's champion for China, but there is no doubt about her survival instincts. She is a willing fighter, ready to retrieve balls till the opponent commits a mistake. Thailand's Suchanan Viratprasert looked better equipped to swing the tie, especially the very effective backhand which she used to volley winners at will.

The unseeded Chinese lost the first set very meekly at 1-6, dropping serve four times and conceding the initiative through sluggish footwork. The second set was littered with service breaks, Viratprasert losing first four games on serve even as Peng was broken in the second, fourth and sixth. Three more breaks followed, leading to the tie-breaker which the Chinese won. Both players cut down on errors in the tie-breaker, Peng's better lasting powers proving decisive in the end of a battle lasting over two hours under a scorching sun.

lThe results: women's singles (semifinals): 8-Sunitha Rao (USA) bt 5-Camilla Kremer (Luxembourg) 6-2, 6-3; Shuai Peng (China) bt 6-Suchanan Viratprasert (Thailand) 1-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3.

Women's doubles final: 4-Dominika Luzarova (Cze)/Annabel Blow (Gbr) bt H. Chao (Tpe)/S. Viratprasert (Thn) 6-3, 6-3.

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