PERSISTENCE and probably her mother's prayers took Archana Venkataraman far in the ITF women's circuit second leg at Indore. The second seed from Bangalore, who manages to squeeze in tennis between management studies, wore down opponents just by keeping the ball in play and picking up points off errors committed by impatient rivals.
A player of limited repertoire winning an ITF circuit singles event is a reflection of the state of women's tennis where up and coming juniors are unable to win three matches in a row. But there cannot be any doubt about Archana being the most focussed player on the circuit.
The happiest person on earth after the Indore leg ended in a blaze of glory must be Archana's mother Shyamala, who is always present when her daughters Archana or Arthi are playing, chanting prayers during matches, seeking spiritual help to further tennis ambitions. "I am very happy for Archana. She has been doing well this season, finishing runner-up in a major event at Pune, excelling at Chennai and now the victory here," she said, adding: "I prayed for Archana, it is a positive prayer. I don't wish bad things for her opponent, but pray hard so that she does well."
Archana's easy victory over third seed Sheetal Goutham in a one-sided final, lasting 60 minutes, clinching the title besides Rs. 29,500 and 16 ITF circuit points, contrasted with her apprehensions about form and luck of the draw at the start of the second leg. Eventually, at the end of the final, Archana should ponder whether she is putting more pressure on herself imagining unseen demons. Instead, her rivals should be worrying at the prospect of facing one of the most determined professionals on the circuit.
The second seed generated astonishing pace and bounce even when hitting into the wind blowing across the Emerald Heights International School hardcourts. She went 5-0 up in the first set, lost the next four but continued attacking to win 6-4. The second set followed in a similar manner, which Archana won 6-1.
Sheetal Goutham, a crafty competitor who adapts herself to different situations, found herself at the receiving end of a barrage which never ended. It was a humbling experience after the high, a day earlier, when she stunned top seed Sonal Phadke in the morning in two sets, then spent the afternoon completing a doubles semifinal and then returned to the court in the evening to win the doubles title partnering Liza Pereira. Five sets of competitive tennis spread over five hours, involving two semifinals and a final, will tax the fittest, and Sheetal was no exception. She felt the after-effects the next day, and unfortunately it happened to be the most important match of the second leg.
Sheetal took advantage of the breeze behind her to hit endless backhand lobs towards the rival baseline, the ball bouncing way out of Sonal's reach in the semifinals. The third seed then timed her charge to the net so well that her rival was rarely in position to return placements or hit passing shots. Sheetal had been at this game right from the beginning, a three-setter against Radhika Mandke stretching beyond two hours before the latter succumbed. The second semifinal saw the two Venkataraman sisters engaged in a duel and their devout mother's predicament can well be imagined.
Rain forced a change of venue - from clay at Yeshwant Club on the first three days - to the hardcourt at Emerald Heights Public School over the last three. Two foreign qualifiers - Canada's Annie Trepanier and Denmark's Amanda Parson-Seigel - showed better adaptability on clay but their sliding sessions did not work against local rivals on the bouncier hard courts. A few Indians attempted their variation of the slide, Riddhina Parekh being the most impressive. The shift to hard courts increased the pace of rallies as seventh seed Liza Pereira and eighth seed Samrita Sekar enjoyed the bounce off the court, but only Archana and Sheetal showed the aptitude to last the course.
The second leg was organised by the Indore Tennis Association at two venues, Yeshwant Club and Emerald Heights International School at Rau, 15 kms outside the city. Tournament Director B. S. Chabra and Tournament Referee Kishore Choudhary faced a tough time completing the week-long event after a rain-disrupted second day forced the morning session to be postponed and eventually deciding to shift the venue. The gambit paid off, ensuring live telecast on Doordarshan and value for money for sponsor Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited.
The results (Indians unless specified):Singles final: 2-Archana Venkataraman bt 3-Sheetal Goutham 6-4, 6-1; Semifinals: 2-Archana Venkataraman bt 5-Arthi Venkataraman 6-2, 6-1; 3-Sheetal Goutham bt 1-Sonal Phadke 7-6 (6), 6-2.
Doubles final: 2-Liza Pereira and Sheetal Goutham bt 1-Sonal Phadke and Karishma Patel 6-3, 7-5; Semifinals: 2-Liza Pereira and Sheetal Goutham bt Amanda Parson and Siegel (Denmark) and Radhika Mandke 6-4, 6-2; 1-Sonal Phadke and Karishma Patel w/o Samrita Sekar and Preeti Rao.
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