Rushmi overcomes Jyotsna

By Kamesh Srinivasan

CHANDIGARH, APRIL 19. Rushmi Chakravarthi asserted herself with a 7-6 (7- 3), 6-2 victory over Jyotsna Vasisht in making the final of the $ 10,000 ITF women's circuit tennis tournament at the CLTA Stadium here on Thursday.

The 23-year-old Rushmi will meet the 18-year-old Dea Sumantri of Indonesia who overcame a stormy first set, when she was almost swept off the court by the power game of Karen Paterson, in scripting a 4-6, 6-2, 6-0 triumph.

It was the 465th ranked Rushmi's experience that saw her bounce back into the contest after being 2-4 down in the first set. Moreover, the 582nd ranked Jyotsna lacked the conviction to drive home the advantage when she had the upper- hand, despite the fact that she played a quality first set, hitting winners by the dozen.

Rushmi was smart in playing the big points, especially the tie- break, which she forced after getting the break back in the seventh game, when Jyotsna obliged with a sitter of an error at the net. Though she could hit harder than her opponent when it came to a baseline duel, Rushmi opted the slice to a great effect during vital points, and took the steam off Jyotsna's challenge after being 0-2 down in the tie-break.

Jyotsna had her chances in the second set, when she broke for 2- 1, but was unable to win another game, as she committed too many double-faults, one of which came on matchpoint. The 22-year-old Jyotsna, who was playing her first semifinal at this level, had 11 double-faults.

Rushmi had one ace and five doublefaults, and three of those faults came in the fifth game of the second set in which she did well to hold serve.

It will be a tough challenge when Rushmi meets Sumantri despite the fact that the latter will be playing only her maiden final in the women's circuit and has only a ranking of 779. In fact, Sumantri has managed to win only two first round matches from six tournaments this season.

Despite her lack of exposure in the women's circuit, Sumantri has the game and the temperament to tease any opponent, especially those who have a penchant to pack power in their strokes. It was a beautiful exhibition of calculated play, as Sumantri clawed her way back into the match, wearing out the confidence of Karen with her slow and steady policy.

It was a brilliant turn-around, that matched the bright weather making room for a cloudy sky in the atmosphere, when Sumantri changed the complexion of the match by reeling off 11 games in a row after being a break down at 1-2 in the second set.

Karen had the game but lacked the motivation as she was exhausted by the string of tough matches in the tournament. The fact that she was made to run hard in the first set told in her game as Karen lost her concentration and thus the confidence when she was forced to fight for every point as the match progressed.

On the other hand, Sumantri was all over the court, putting her strong legs to good use and hitting with remarkable precision, giving little away in terms of free points. Sumantri faced only one breakpoint, in the fifth game of the decider, and responded with a passing shot down the line, that broke whatever little resistance the Briton had sported till then.

Karen had two aces and 11 doublefaults in the contest that spanned an hour and 44 minutes, while Sumantri had only two doublefaults. Of course, for someone ranked 1196 on the WTA computer, Karen had done very well to collect $ 500 and 4.75 WTA points.

If Rushmi plays her game, and makes a conscious attempt to be more athletic, putting her volleying skills to use, she should be able get her first title of the season. However, more than the game, it will be the temperament that will count on the morrow. On that count, Sumantri will enjoy the edge as she has nothing to lose, except for a small change of $ 600 and one WTA point.

The results (semifinals):

Singles: Rushmi Chakravarthi bt Jyotsna Vasisht 7-6 (7-3), 6-2; Dea Sumantri (Ina) bt Karen Paterson (GBR) 4-6, 6-2, 6-0.

Doubles: Sai Jayalakshmy & Rushmi Chakravarthi bt Sheetal Goutham & Shalini Thakur 6-2, 6-3; Dea Sumantri (Ina) & Radhika Tulpule bt Shruti Dhawan & Jyotsna Vasisht 6-4, 6-4.

India's Rushmi Chakravarthi whips a forehand return in her semifinal match against compatriot Jyotsna Vasisht in the ITF women's circuit tennis tournament in Chandigarh on Thursday.

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