The Hindu : Sport / Tennis : Rushmi to meet Isha

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Dec 17, 2004

Sport

Sport - Tennis

Rushmi to meet Isha

By Kamesh Srinivasan

GURGAON, DEC. 16. Rushmi Chakravarthi recovered from a mid-match slump to oust fifth-seeded Wilawan Choptang of Thailand in the quarterfinals of the Le Meridien $10,000 ITF women's tennis tournament at the NTA Complex here on Thursday.

It could have been more straightforward than the eventual 6-3, 5-7, 6-1 win for top-seeded Rushmi, but for her squandering as many as six breakpoints in the fifth game of the second set.

To compound her problems, a tired Rushmi dropped serve in the next game, though she did well to bounce back from 2-5 down to 5-5.

A below par fare in the 12th game saw Rushmi getting broken, but she was confidence personified in the decider in which she broke the Thai in the third, fifth and seventh games, saving two breakpoints in the fourth game.

"I had lost to her in three sets last year in Mumbai. She hits well, but am happy with the way I played, though it could have been better,'' said Rushmi.

Rushmi will meet Isha Lakhani, who won the battle of left-handers in the second set tie-break.

Though her left knee was strapped and her right knee taped, Isha was quite agile and hit with considerable intensity in beating National champion Sanaa Bhambri.

Third-seeded Sai Jayalakshmy battled for nearly three hours to subdue Sheethal Goutham, who served several aces and hit with poise.

Sai was hampered by a flurry of unforced errors, but played with resolve in the decider, to record her eighth win in as many meetings over Sheethal on the ITF circuit.

Second-seeded Ankita Bhambri outplayed sixth-seeded Archana Venkataraman for the loss of just one game.

In doubles, top-seeded Sai and Rushmi tamed the Mumbai event champions, Wilawan Choptang and Shruti Dhawan in straight sets to set up a title clash with the Bhambri sisters.

The results:

Singles (quarterfinals): Rushmi Chakravarthi bt Wilawan Choptang (Tha) 6-3, 5-7, 6-1; Isha Lakhani bt Sanaa Bhambri 6-3, 7-6 (2); Sai Jayalakshmy bt Sheethal Goutham 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-2; Ankita Bhambri bt Archana Venkataraman 6-1, 6-0.

Doubles (semifinals): Rushmi Chakravarthi & Sai Jayalakshmy bt Wilawan Choptang (Tha) & Shruti Dhawan 7-6 (5), 6-4; Ankita Bhambri & Sanaa Bhambri bt Iciri Rai & Krushmi Chheda 6-0, 6-2. Quarterfinals: Iciri Rai & Krushmi Chheda bt Parul Goswami & Liza Pereira 7-5, 7-5.

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