The Hindu : Sport / Tennis : Isha in semifinals

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Mar 31, 2006

Sport

Sport - Tennis

Isha in semifinals

Nandakumar Marar

MUMBAI: Isha Lakhani made a cautious entry into the singles semifinal of the Shivaji Park Gymkhana-ITF Women's Tennis, taking care to keep mistakes down to the minimum against Thailand's Thassha Vitayaviroj.

The strokeful left-hander, always intent on intimidating rivals with force and a range of shots, opted for safe tactics at the SPG courts here on Thursday, though had enough skills and experience to force a 6-4, 7-5 victory in the $10,000 event.

The third seed faces her stiffest test yet in the form of top seed and Fed Cup teammate Ankita Bhambri, who thwarted Hong Kong's Wing Yao Chang after being taken the distance on another hot day.

Ankita pointed to humidity for being unable to finish the match in the second set itself. A breather and change of costume worked wonders for the top seed as she roared back into form in the decider, winning it 6-0.

Thailand's Nudnida Luangnam, seeded seventh, and unseeded Japanese Ito Kazusa are the surprise semifinalists. Nudnida survived a blast from India's Punam Reddy in the first set, losing six games in a row before recovering for a 0-6, 6-4, 6-4 win.

The semifinal between Isha and Ankita will be a clash between consistency and aggression. The former is getting sharper with every round, while the latter is trying to strike a balance between attack and percentage play.

Women's singles (quarterfinals): Ankita Bhambri (Ind) bt Wing Yao Chan (HK) 6-2, 5-7, 6-0; Nudnida Luangnam (Tha) bt Punam Reddy (Ind) 0-6, 6-4, 6-4; Isha Lakhani (Ind) bt Thassha Vitayaviroj (Tha) 6-4, 7-5; Ito Kazusa (Jpn) bt Pichittra Thongdach (Tha) 6-4, 6-2.

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