Yamini steamrollers Arthi

By Kamesh Srinivasan

NEW DELHI, MARCH 7. The dark horse continued its majestic run. Yamini Thukkaiandi did not break into a sweat as she dismissed Arthi Venkataraman 6-0, 6-2 to move into the semifinals of the $ 5000 ITF women's circuit Masters tennis tournament at the DLTA Complex here on Wednesday.

Having negotiated the wily left-hander, the second- seeded Radhika Mandke, under below-par light late on Tuesday evening, the 17-year-old Yamini did not have any trouble in smacking winners on either flank on a bright morning.

Playing with renewed confidence and moving into her strokes briskly, Yamini did not hesitate to unleash her doublefisted backhand crosscourts and the forehand drives against the seasoned campaigner. She broke the 26-year-old Arthi in every single game throughout the match, and could have asserted herself better but for losing focus and dropping serve twice, in the first and seventh games of the second set.

Overall, Yamini did serve very well, with whatever energy she could muster from her frail frame. She had to play a three-setter to beat Arthi the only time they had met before in a $ 10,000 tournament in Bangalore recently. The unassuming teenager who trains with coach Ravichandran and at the Triangle Tennis Trust in Chennai, caught everyone's attention as she emphasised her fast improving game with a clinical display.

``I was defensive the last time, thinking that I had to be so against a senior player like Arthi who runs and retrieves everything. Now, I know that I have to go for the shots and keep a positive frame of mind'', said Yamini.

On the morrow, Yamini will be tested by Sheetal Goutham, who rediscovered for herself that she had not forgotten the art of winning, as she humbled the third-seeded Radhika Tulpule 7-6 (7- 2), 6-1.

It was an anticlimactic finish to an interesting clash, as Radhika aggravated her left-ankle injury, even as she slipped and bruised her right elbow and knee while bending for a backhand slice in the first game of the match.

Radhika was able to manage her way to the tie-break in the first set, saving three breakpoints in the fifth game. However, she had trouble serving, as she was not unable to put pressure on the left leg which became painful as the match progressed.

For a crafty player like Sheethal, it was an easy outing thereafter as she teased her opponent by mixing pace, placing judiciously and moving up to the net for some deft volleys. Radhika did ask for an injury break after three games in the second set, and broke back to be 1-3 on resumption, but limped her way to defeat thereafter.

Radhika had hurt her ankle in Chennai and opted to recuperate by skipping the second leg in Bangalore. She came back strongly in the third leg in Mumbai to clinch the title, but has been unlucky not to cap her good work here, when it mattered.

While Radhika had to be content with $ 225 and 1.5 WTA points, Sheethal, who had lost to the Pune lass last week rather tamely, assured herself a minimum of $ 300 and two WTA points.

The top-seeded Sonal Phadke was a little shaky early in the second set, getting broken twice, but was fluent otherwise in defeating the 15-year-old Lata Assudani. She will meet Nina Wennestrom of Sweden, who proved too good against the erratic Jordanna Seymour of Australia.

Sonal had beaten the 21-year-old Nina for the loss of three games in the semifinal in Mumbai, but may have to guard herself from being overcautious rather than becoming complacent. If she gets her rhythm and moves as well as she can, Sonal should be able to put the tall Swede in her place once again.

The results (quarterfinals):

Singles: Sonal Phadke bt Lata Assudani 6-1, 6- 2; Nina Wennerstrom (Swe) bt Jordanna Seymour (Aus) 6-1, 6-2; Sheetal Goutham bt Radhika Tulpule 7-6 (7-2), 6-1; Yamini Thukkaiandi bt Arthi Venkataraman 6-0, 6-2.

Doubles: Sheetal Goutham & Liza Pereira bt Padma Preetham Mahalingam & Vishnu Preetham Mahalingam 6-0, 6- 1; Alice Joy & Geeta Manohar bt Lata Assudani & Shivani Oberoi (Can) 6-2, 6-3; Sonal Phadke & Radhika Mandke bt Sharanya Pattabhi & Sai Swapna Ramakrishna 6-2, 6-1; Yamini Thukkaiandi & Arthi Venkataraman bt Nandini Perumal & Medini Sharma 6-1, 7-5.

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