The Hindu : Sport : An open field at Hyderabad

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Monday, Feb 07, 2005

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An open field at Hyderabad

By A. Joseph Antony

A LEGEND SPEAKS: Martina Navratilova fields questions with a smile at the SAAP Tennis Complex in Hyderabad. — Photos: P.V. Sivakumar

HYDERABAD, FEB. 6. Draped in light from tall masts, the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh-Andhra Pradesh Lawn Tennis Association complex at Fateh Maidan will offer a soothing sight for sore eyes, if not the performers who'll grace its stage.

In the week to come, with eight of the world's elite 100 in the fray, there should be reason enough for a higher turnout at the Women's Tennis Association (WTA)-Hyderabad Open 2005, set to unfold from Monday. A closer look at the combatants could be a pointer to what lies ahead.

Favourite Na Li from Wuhan in Hubei province of China sounded her arrival earlier in the year with a stunning defeat of world No. 25 and reigning champion Amy Frazier in the opening round at Hobart, Canada. Lest that be seen as a fluke, she underscored her class by ousting the 32-ranked Shinobu Asagoe of Japan in the second round of the Australian Open, before bowing out to Maria Sharapova in the next.

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) circuit proved a fertile ground for her conquests, the 1.72 metre tall right-hander bagging as many as 17 titles. Her role in China's Federation Cup and Olympic campaigns was ample testimony to her talent as was her triumph in the Asian Youth Cup.

German's prowess

That the legendary Martina Navratilova chose Anna Lena Groenefeld for a doubles partner was proof enough of the young German's prowess. In singles competition she followed the leads laid down by her coach Rafael Font de Mora, cracking the top 100 in 2004 and the top 50 this year. Victories such as the toppling of world No. 26 Fabiola Zuluaga at the Australian Open last month should see her catapult to the best 20 by next year.

Tatiana Panov (3) accounted for world No. 28 Jelena Jankovic Down Under before surrendering to Australian Alicia Molik. Her maiden WTA tour event performance at Moscow found her ranking jump 673 places. At Berlin, she stunned then world No. 18 Lori McNeil in the first round, followed up by a defeat of Amanda Coetzer, ranked 19. In Grand Slam action, the 29-year-old shocked Natalia Zvereva at Wimbledon.

Tamarine Tanasugarn of Thailand arrives at the stadium.

The Muscovite defeated current world No. 7 Elena Dementieva in 2001 at Linz and again last year at the Pan Pacific tournament in Tokyo. In 2002, she subdued a string of top 50 players that included Meghann Shaughnessy (who pulled out of this event), Arantxa Sanchez Vicario in the quarterfinals at Miami, Jelena Dokic at Filderstadt and Jennifer Capriati at Sydney in 2003.

Fourth-seed Jie Zheng's showing this year may not be very impressive, but to her credit are wins over Tamarine Tanasugarn, a former champion here and Jelena Dokic at Dubai. After her fluent 6-4, 6-1 win over the Serb, Zheng stretched the present world No. 5 Anastasia Myskina, before going down 2-6, 5-7.

Fire-power

Apart from the top four, there are others who pack enough fire-power to rattle the best in the business. Jelena Dokic has the wherewithal to halt any of the top rankers, while former champion Tamarine Tanasugarn's defensive baseline game could halt the advance of the ambitiously inclined attackers. Tzipora Obziler needs to be watched too, the gutsy Israeli clawing her back to the fore after more than a year in the wilderness.

The tournament would be certainly poorer for the absence of last year's winner Nicole Pratt and former runner-up Iroda Tulyaganova. So would the withdrawal of Meghann Shaughnessy rob the six-day event of its sheen.

Stalwart unrecognised

While all of India exults in Sania Mirza's accomplishment at the recent Australian Open, a US Open third round entrant, also from Hyderabad, continues to go unrecognised. S.P. Misra won an epic 77-game duel against Chile's Ernesto Aguirre in the second round, but the blisters that broke out on his hand saw him succumb to Victor Seixas in the third. The field in that 1964 Forest Hills event included stalwarts such as Roy Emerson, Dennis Ralston, Fred Stolle and Manuel Santana.

A veteran of the Slams at Roland Garros, Forest Hills and Wimbledon, all the accolades and awards have passed him by as also the incentives from the State and Union governments. So much so that he's not invited to major events even in his own hometown.

As a pioneer of the sport in these parts and a state champion for 25 years on the trot, wouldn't it be appropriate to honour Andhra Pradesh's first citizen of tennis by naming the city and state's world class tennis facility after him? Or will Hyderabad's illustrious son be doomed to obscurity?

The seedings (with WTA rankings): 1. Na Li 56 (China), 2. Anna Lena Groenefeld 58 (Germany), 3. Tatiana Panova 60 (Russia), 4. Jie Zheng 61 (China), 5. Marta Domachowska 66 (Poland), 6. Tamarina Tanasugarn 67 (Thailand), 7. Lubomira Kurhajcova 90 (Slovakia), 8. Maria Kirilenko 94 (Russia).

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