WHEN she posed with the trophy for the lensmen, after achieving a double crown, Sheetal Goutham was hardly able to smile. She was sun-burnt and drained, after the energy-sapping exercise in singles and doubles, in hot and humid conditions.
What one could make out was her determination. The 20-year-old Sheetal may have her limitations in terms of stroke production, but by winning the Masters title in the $5000 ITF women's circuit in Delhi, for the second time in four months, she emphasised that she was not to be pushed in the domestic circuit by the fast-emerging teenagers.
The five WTA points Sheetal collected were precious, for Indian women playing abroad for five weeks do not get so many points most of the time.
Sheetal also won $800 which, along with her earnings over three weeks in singles and doubles, should keep her going for some time, as she does not play abroad.
It was intriguing for many as to how a talented player like Megha Vakharia, who has the potential to beat anyone in the circuit, and who had beaten many good players in the recent past, could not capitalise on her winning chances when she was serving 5-4 in both the second and third sets of the final.
But then, winning is in the mind. And, Sheetal's mind was so tough that she humbled her opponent by sheer mental strength rather than strokes. For one who had lost to Megha in the first leg in Mumbai, Sheetal was able to rise to the occasion in a fitting fashion.
Shruti Dhawan, Sai Jayalakshmy and Sonal Phadke had won the $5000 circuit before, but none could match Sheetal Goutham who made the record of winning the circuit for the second time, after her previous triumph in March.
In a contest that spanned two hours and 54 minutes, it was Megha who looked attractive with her free-flowing strokes, but the 16-year-old made errors on key points to miss out on a morale-boosting triumph. The young girl, however, was happy to collect four WTA points and $500.
The future promises a lot for Megha, as the left-hander gave clear glimpses of class in beating Archana Venkataraman and Isha Lakhani, two tough customers, in straight sets on way to the final.
Sheetal's victory over the top-seeded Sonal Phadke was equally impressive, though the latter was erratic and failed to play to her potential in the semifinal.
Sonal was the best player in terms of WTA ranking, as the other top Indian players were busy playing abroad. Nirupama Vaidyanathan was in the big league, while Manisha Malhotra, Sai Jayalakshmy, Rushmi Chakravarti, Shruti Dhawan, Radhika Tulpule, Jyotsna Vasisht and Geeta Manohar were busy mostly in Europe, leaving the bonanza back home for Sheetal and company.
Sonal emphasised the maturity of her game by winning the first and third legs, and had lost only to Sheetal in the semifinal of the second leg in Indore. In the Masters, where everything was at stake, Sonal had done a wonderful recovery from the brink of defeat to get past another talented teenager, the 14-year-old Ankita Bhambri.
Yet, Sonal could not get out of the self-imposed shackles in the semifinal, as she played to Sheetal's tune, hitting back to her in the baseline, rather than moving her around, and herself not moving into strokes for that elusive punch.
In the event, Sonal cut a sorry figure, and had to be content with two WTA points and $350. Yet, the lessons from the circuit should stand Sonal in good stead, as much as the prize-money she gathered in a month.
More than anything, Sonal may have to work on building explosive energy, as her athletic frame with considerable stamina lacks the firepower for the bigger league.
Isha Lakhani won many hearts with her gutsy play, and defeated two quality players, Samrita Sekar and Liza Pereira before bowing to Megha.
Nandita Chandrasekar, Ankita Bhambri, S. K. Tara, Liza Pereira, Samrita Sekar and Yamini Thukkaiandi proved that the future was bright for Indian women's tennis. If these girls continue to train hard with sound guidance, they should be making waves soon, not just in India but abroad too.
Sheetal Goutham and Liza Pereira were too good in the doubles. They won all the three legs and the Masters, a rare achievement in the Indian circuit.
It was a fine effort by Sheetal, as she mustered energy for the final fling in doubles. Sheetal and Liza were down 0-3, as both were broken initially, but bounced back in style to overwhelm Preeti Rao and Samrita Sekar in the final, saving a setpoint on the way. Into the second set, Preeti and Samrita were disheartened and failed to win a game.
Overall, it was a healthy scenario with the Indian girls slogging it out in tough conditions. The rich prize money to the tune of $20,000 over four weeks, in a field that had only three foreigners, none of whom had any WTA points, let alone WTA ranking, was well earned.
If they invest such money in their youth, the girls will indeed make a fine career, and win bigger rewards. Of course, they deserve bigger tournaments at home, to build on the foundation.
The results:Singles (final): Sheetal Goutham bt Megha Vakharia 6-7 (2-7), 7-5, 7-6 (7-1); Semifinals: Sheetal Goutham bt Sonal Phadke 4-6, 6-2, 6-3; Megha Vakharia bt Isha Lakhani 6-2, 7-5; Quarterfinals: Sonal Phadke bt Ankita Bhambri 4-6, 6-3, 6-2; Sheetal Goutham bt Laila Shetty 6-3, 6-0; Isha Lakhani bt Samrita Sekar 6-2, 7-6 (7-2); Megha Vakharia bt Archana Venkataraman 6-3, 6-4.
Doubles (final): Sheetal Goutham and Liza Pereira bt Preeti Rao and Samrita Sekar 7-6 (9-7), 6-0; Semifinals: Sheetal Goutham and Liza Pereira bt Archana Venkataraman and Arthi Venkataraman 6-3, 6-2; Preeti Rao and Samrita Sekar bt Karishma Patel and Sonal Phadke 6-4, 5-7, 7-5.
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