Wednesday, Feb 18, 2004
Wednesday, Feb 18, 2004 |
| Sport | ||||
|
News:
Front Page |
National |
Tamil Nadu |
Andhra Pradesh |
Karnataka |
Kerala |
New Delhi |
Other States |
International |
Opinion |
Business |
Sport |
Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary | Sport
-
Tennis
By V.V. Subrahmanyam
HYDERABAD, FEB. 17. The grim faces of the spectators and the organizers said it all. The defeat of the local girl and crowd-puller Sania Mirza in the first round signalled the end of Hyderabad challenge in the singles of the WTA Hyderabad Open tennis championship. The beleaguered organisers are wondering what more they have to do bring in the crowds. Sania was lustily cheered when she entered the courts and there was an air of expectation. Sania did not disappoint the crowd as she dished out some vintage stuff in the first set when she stunned the seasoned opponent, who is incidentally 13 years older to her. The couple of times she walked across to argue with the chair umpire over some close line calls, Sania was given a vociferous support by the crowd that even heckled the gentleman in the chair. However, it turned out to be anti-climax of sorts when the Hyderabad girl had to bow out. "Well, I had my chances in the match. I am happy to win a set against such an experienced player. I could have played better in the second and third sets," she said at the post-match briefing. "Definitely when she changed the pace of the game with her sliced returns it did upset my rhythm and more importantly she was hitting the balls really well," Sania acknowledged. "It is sad to lose in the first round but I did try my best to stay in the game. But this is expected when you are up against an experienced and classy opponent," she said. The18-year-old Sania admitted that she was upset with couple of line calls. "But Nicole too got quite a few of them. It is all part of the game," she said. Nicole Pratt paid handsome compliments to the young Indian. "She was overpowering me and enjoying the game in the first set when she put me under lot of pressure," said the Australian. "When I realised she was really enjoying hitting those powerful passing shots on the rise, I decided to slow down the game with my sliced returns and I am happy that it worked," said Nicole Pratt. Commenting on Sania's prospects in the women's circuit, Pratt said "If she continues to do what she has been doing, she has a good future. But to be among the top players you have to know how to handle pressure. That is equally important," was Pratt's advice. On her own erratic serve, she double-faulted nine times, Pratt said she was making some adjustments in her style and hoped to improve it in the coming days. "That is why I feel that winning in two sets might be good feeling but the first round in three sets will certainly do some good to you," she remarked. * * *
Meanwhile, the defending champion Tamarine Tanasugarn of Thailand served a warning note to the other contenders. "My goal is to concentrate on each match and take the tournament day by day. I don't want to think that since I am the defending champion I should win this," she said. She said she was surprised by the way her opponent fought back after conceding a 0-5 lead. "But, I am determined to push myself into the top league with better consistency," she said.
Printer friendly
page
News:
Front Page |
National |
Tamil Nadu |
Andhra Pradesh |
Karnataka |
Kerala |
New Delhi |
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 © 2004, The
Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of
this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of
The Hindu
|
