RADHIKA TULPULE of India put up a near flawless display to claim the Indian Oil Servo ITF $10,000 women's tennis tournament at the Gymkhana club courts in Chennai. Her opponent Ipek Senoglu of Turkey realised that she was up against an inspired performer as she lost 1-6, 6-7 (2) in the final.
Radhika is one of the few players in the circuit who has an all-court game, and one who has variety in her strokes. Ranked 522 in the world, and seeded fifth in the tournament, Radhika fought past tough opponents to earn a place in the final.
Radhika downed the hard-hitting Christiana Zacharidou of Greece (before the latter conceded the match owing to cramps in her stomach in the third set) in the pre-quarterfinals. She weathered the challenge from second seed Rushmi Chakravarthi in the quarterfinals as the latter failed to capitalise on the opportunities, especially in the second set, and lost quite tamely.
However, it was the eighth-seeded Archana Venkataraman who tested the skills and patience of Radhika the most in the semifinals. Archana is one player who thrives on rallies, and her main strength lies in her retrieving skills. She is also capable of rallying endlessly and the only way to beat her is to overpower her. But to do so in the clay courts at the Gymkhana is a difficult task.
With Archana retrieving well to take the second set and making it one-set all, Radhika approached the decider in a different manner. The 19-year-old girl from Pune served better - most of them to the corner. She also hit delightful winners both on the forehand and the backhand, ensuring that Archana had no chance of returning. Radhika eventually won the battle in an hour and 35 minutes. "Her (Archana) serve might look harmless but it is really effective as it comes on to you. Moreover, she is one player who never gives up," said Radhika.
The 21-year-old Senoglu had an easy path to the final. Sai Jayalakshmy was not just in her elements as she committed 15 double faults to bow out to Senoglu in straight sets in the first round. Senoglu continued to make mincemeat of her opponents till she met the 20-year-old Karishma Patel. Though Karishma lost the first set quite tamely, she matched Senoglu shot for shot from the back of the court. Karishma put up a better display in the second, belting forehand winners. Senoglu used her height and power in good measure against her smaller opponent to emerge the winner at 6-3, 7-5.
Karishma has that aggressive streak in her and she also possesses solid groundstrokes unlike most of the Indian players who are content with putting the ball in play. In that way, Karishma's game was refreshing. She had accounted for seventh seed Sheetal Goutham in the quarterfinals.
For fourth seed Sonal Phadke, playing at the Gymkhana courts for the first time, and eager to win the title, the loss to Archana Venkataraman in the quarterfinals should have come as a big disappointment.
Radhika reserved her best for the final as the title clash turned out to be an anti-climax. Using her trademark backhand chop, and drop shots effectively, the fifth seed raced to a 5-0 lead in the first set and promptly took it in under 30 minutes. It was only in the second set that Senoglu found her touch.
Hitting backhand winners and volleying well, the Turkish player broke Radhika in the sixth game to level the scores at 5-5 and forced the second set into a tiebreaker. However, Senoglu faltered at the crucial moment, serving two double faults. Picking up the momentum, Radhika ran through the tiebreaker to win the second set and with that the match in an hour and 28 minutes. "I was not mentally there. I did not warm up before the match. My heart was in Turkey," said Senoglu. Radhika attributed her victory to the tough draw which she felt helped her in the final. Radhika received $1,600 (Rs. 75,000) for her victory.
Coached by Nandan Bal, Radhika has all the ingredients that go to make it big. If she could add more power to her shots, she could break into the top 200 which seems to be her immediate aim.
For the favourites, Sai Jayalakshmy and Rushmi Chakravarthi, this tournament presented an ideal opportunity to showcase their talent and experience of having played in countries such as Thailand and Europe but they failed to rise to the occasion.
However, the duo claimed the doubles title defeating Samrita Sekar and Shubha Srinivasan 6-0, 7-6 (1) in the final. Though the overall standard was not very high, observers felt that the quality of play has certainly improved.
The results: (Indians unless otherwise stated): Final:
Radhika Tulpule bt Ipek Senoglu (Tur) 6-1, 7-6 (2); doubles: Sai Jayalakshmy & Rushmi Chakravarthi bt Samrita Sekar & Shubha Srinivasan 6-0, 7-6 (1).
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