The Hindu : Sport : Sania clears first hurdle with ease

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Sep 21, 2005

Sport

Sport

Sania clears first hurdle with ease

S. Dinakar

Sunitha Rao's quality second serves ground Neha Uberoi

The crowd at the Netaji indoor stadium roared to life as Sania, in a white cap, walked in. Placards bearing her name abounded. A festive atmosphere prevailed

Kolkata: Sania Mirza brings with her freshness and freedom. Even during days when a tight security cordon surrounds her. She is quite the sunshine girl even under a covered arena.

The crowd at the Netaji indoor stadium roared to life as Sania, donning a white cap, walked in. Placards bearing her name abounded. A festive atmosphere prevailed in the sizable Tuesday gathering.

Her opponent Junri Nagimata of Japan was expected to be beaten. Still there was a job to be done for Sania against her 283rd-ranked adversary.

The Hyderabad girl romped home 6-2, 6-2.

On view was the essence of Sania's game in this first round Sunfeast Open clash. Her booming forehand found its mark time and again. The 18-year- old's double-handed backhand was working well, so did her return. She will have to improve her first serve percentage, though.

Simply put, Nagimata was overpowered by the World No. 34. After an initial resistance from Nagimata, Sania was able achieve service breaks in the fifth and seventh games. Under a relentless barrage of strokes, the Japanese girl failed to hold in the first game of the second set. There was no looking back for Sania. Bigger tests await her in the competition. A semifinal meeting with Russia's Elena Likhovtseva looms.

Sunitha's consistency

Sunitha Rao is not short of ambition. She can perhaps match Sania in the looks stakes. More consistency in her game could see her climbing the rungs too. As it stands, the 19-year-old from Florida has done well to be ranked 161.

Neha Uberoi too hails from Florida, and she too is 19. Her first round clash with Sunitha was always going to be a hard-fought one. Sunitha and Neha have a similar game. Both can hit winners with their double-handed backhand, have a reasonable forehand, move well and generally prefer slugging it out from the baseline.

In a close 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 victory, Sunitha's depth in groundstrokes and better quality of second serves provided her the crucial edge over her 248th- ranked opponent. She achieved the decisive break in the decider by changing her tactics and unsettling Neha with a couple of successful volleys.

One of them arrived in the critical ninth game, after which Sunitha served for the match. She was a relieved girl when a Neha forehand found the net. Sunitha turned around with a raised racquet to acknowledge the crowd, Neha let out a cry of anguish. And this is only the beginning of a young rivalry.

Rushmi beaten

An older face of Indian women's tennis found the going tougher. Rushmi Chakravarthy was outplayed 6-2, 6-0 by the fourth-seeded Italian Maria Elena Camerin, who hits the ball hard. The eighth seeded Rika Fujiwara of Japan was made to sweat by Spain's Arantxa Parra Santonja before prevailing in three sets 6-4, 1-6, 6-4. In the day's only upset, Spain's Virginia Pascual outlasted compatriot Laura Pous Tio 4-6, 6-2, 6-3.

The results: First round: 4-Maria Elena Camerin (Ita) bt Rushmi Chakravarthi (Ind) 6-2, 6-0; Emila Salerni (Arg) bt Melinda Czink (Hun) 6-4, 7-5; Antonella Serra Zanetti (Ita) bt Chia-Chung Chuang (Tpe), Sunitha Rao (US) bt Neha Uberoi (U.S.) 7-5, 4-6, 6-4; Rika Fujiwara (Jap) bt Arantxa Parra Santonja (Spain) 6-4, 1-6, 6-4; Sofia Ardvisson (Swe) bt bt Tamarine Tanasugarn 6-2, 6-1; 3-Sania Mirza (Ind) bt Junri Namigata (Jpn) 6-2, 6-2; Virginia Pascual (Spa) bt 6-Laura Pous Tio (Spa) 4-6, 6-2, 6-3.

Doubles (first round): Villmarie Castelli-Sunitha Rao bt Evie Dominikovic-Galina Voskoboeva 6-4, 6-4; Elena Likhovtseva-Anastasia Myskina bt Ankita-Sanaa Bhambri 6-2, 6-0.

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