BANGALORE: The day after Sania Mirza's exit, the organisers of Bangalore Open saw their nightmare come true with the Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association (KSLTA) Stadium back to its usual state marked by a sparse crowd and abridged lines at the ticket counters.

The last thing that one expected was an early exit of our own super star, which has robbed the event of some sheen. But that's sports: you expect the unexpected. There's no blaming Sania either. She did her best under the circumstances. Braving a muscle pull in the elbow, she kept hammering away without coming short on her stroking ability. However, her rival, Camille Pin, of France had the right plan to stop the Hyderabad Express.

Were the fans disappointed? To a large extent yes. Many went home on Wednesday feeling let down. "She had scored great wins abroad... but at home right in front of us, she gets beaten. I really don't know why this happens," said Vikas, while his friend Sharath was far more philosophical. "She can't be a winner all the time. The defeat should make her more determined and analyse her mistakes." Both, however, said they will be back to watch Sania's doubles matches where she partners Lizel Hueuer.

The problem of selling a tennis event to Indian fans is that the game revolves around popularity of one player. This was exactly the case with cricket some time ago when Indian fortunes rose and ebbed with Sachin Tendulkar. But the game grew with a lot more players such as Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble, Virendra Sehwag, V.V.S Laxman, Irfan Pathan and Yuvraj Singh emerging as super stars in their own right.

It sure will take some time for other women players to reach the level of Sania. She had the right breaks, big sponsors and great talent. It depends on how the national federation, the All-India Tennis Association, and its affiliated units go about nurturing the young talent. Sania sure has opened the door for a great future for the game in the country.

To pep up the day's schedule, Sania and Shahar Peer, the second-seeded Israeli player, who too lost her singles on Wednesday, played the Pro-Am exhibition tie. Sania partnered Santosh Lad, MLA, for a best of seven-point match against Shahar Peer, who combined with Gayathri Rao, a member of the KSLTA. Mr. Lad and Sania won 7-4 and Mr. Lad, who earned the right to partner with Sania with a contribution Rs. 2 lakhs to the KSLTA initiative to develop tennis in rural areas, was quite thrilled with the experience.

KSLTA has planned a few more exhibition ties and the celebrities expected to play include actors Vishnuvardhan, Ramesh Arvind, Ambarish and Madhavan.

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