The Hindu : Sport / Tennis : Ankita's fighting qualities to the fore

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, May 29, 2004

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Sport - Tennis

Ankita's fighting qualities to the fore

By Kamesh Srinivasan

LUCKNOW, MAY 28. She may not be comfortable on grass, but Ankita Bhambri is a fighter who will not allow the conditions to dictate terms to her. The 17-year-old Delhi girl looked quite compact, except when trying the backhand slice, while beating Sai Jayalakshmy 7-5, 2-6, 6-3 in the semifinals of the $ 10,000 ITF women's tennis tournament at the Oudh Gymkhana Club courts here on Friday.

Overcoming spells of inconsistency, Ankita played with energy towards the end — like the way she had done in the earlier round against Liza Pereira — while booking her maiden final at this level. Having beaten the fourth-seeded Sai in their only previous meeting in the ITF circuit, Ankita had the confidence but it was Sai who contributed to her own downfall with some nervous play that undid all the good work.

Ankita will take on the top-seeded Rushmi Chakravarthi, who proved too good for the seventh-seeded Archana Venkataraman, cruising to a 6-2, 6-4 verdict in an hour.

It was the seventh win for Rushmi over Archana in as many meetings, and the third in as many tournaments this season.

In fact, Rushmi has not dropped a set in seven matches to Archana and had not conceded more than four games in any of those 14 sets.

It has been a thorough domination by her and Archana must have been pleased that she drew Rushmi only in the semifinals as she earned $ 500 for her singles effort.

Unlike Rushmi who finished her match in an hour, the second-seeded Ankita had to perspire for two hours and 18 minutes in overcoming Sai. It was Sai — 10 years senior to Ankita — who looked the better player with her smooth strokes and crisp volleys.

However, on the crucial points, Sai tended to err and a bunch of Ankita supporters cheering Sai's mistakes rather loudly in the climax did not help things either.

After losing the first four games in a hurry, Sai recovered admirably to make a fight of it.

She had the match under control when she made Ankita look ordinary, breaking her in the fifth and seventh games to race away with the second set.Ankita was, perhaps, disturbed by the fall while she was trying to negotiate a volley off a net chord, dropping that fifth game with a doublefault in the first set.

Thereafter, Sai got back into her groove before doublefaulting to face a setpoint in the 12th game, and surrendered the set by netting the ball on the next point.

After 10 minutes of rest as per the `heat rule' before the third set, Sai did well to save two breakpoints while holding serve in the fourth game but dropped the sixth game at love, delivering a doublefault on breakpoint. That opening was enough for Ankita who seized the advantage and served out efficiently, conceding a solitary point in her last two service games.

Ankita served out the match in style, with an ace down the middle. Though she fired only five aces, she got a good percentage of her first serves in during the decider and this played a crucial role in her triumph.

An officer with Indian Oil in Chennai, Sai was hampered by a pulled hip muscle and her eight doublefaults — some on key points — denied her a chance to reach her seventh final at this level.

Another officer of Indian Oil, Rushmi has a vast experience, having won five titles from 10 finals, but Ankita will try to provide a fitting climax to her good run. On the head-to-head count, Rushmi has twice beaten Ankita in three meetings and conceded the other after playing a set.

The doubles final, featuring Rushmi and Ankita against Sai and Archana, will be held after the singles final on Saturday.

The results (semifinals): Rushmi Chakravarthi bt Archana Venkataraman 6-2, 6-4; Ankita Bhambri bt Sai Jayalakshmy 7-5, 2-6, 6-3.

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