Erlich meets Dahan

By S. Dinakar

PUNE, NOV. 2. Sports is as much about the varying emotions its protagonists often go through as winning and losing. Coming to tennis, it travels beyond the forehands and the backhands, the aces and the double faults. It's more about LIFE and its demanding JOURNEY.

Just eight months back, Eyal Erlich, bogged down by injuries, and disheartened by his own lack of `big' success, decided to bid adieu to the game. ``I had stopped enjoying the sport, I had no motivation left, mentally I was gone,'' he says now. And just two months ago, the 24-year old Israeli, ``wanting to give it another shot,'' changed his mind. He, however, knew the climb would be steep - ``I had to begin from zero again.''

It is not uncommon to see people giving up on something and then starting all over again. And all credit to them, for it is never easy to pick up the pieces once more.

Well, Erlich took another small step towards a more fruitful `second innings' when he gradually dismantled the in- form Rohan Bopanna 2-6, 7-6 (4), 6-2 in a semifinal match of the MSLTA ITF men's Futures tennis tournament at the Deccan Gymkhana courts, here, on Friday.

The second-seeded Erlich will take on countryman and top-seed Lior Dahan, who quelled a spirited challenge from the unseeded Slovakian Michal Varsanyi 6-2, 6-7 (5), 6-2, in the summit clash on Saturday.

In the evening, the two Israelis combined against Prahlad Srinath and Ajay Ramaswami in the doubles final. When the match was suspended due the bad light, it was level at one set apiece, with Erlich and Dahan winning the first 7-6 (1) and the Indian duo picking up the second 6-4. The contest will resume after the singles final.

Bopanna, bidding for a third successive Futures final, made the right kind of beginning against Erlich, serving and returning well, and keeping the approach shots deep to set up the volley.

The Indian broke Erlich in the sixth game, however, his own service came under intense pressure in the seventh with Erlich turning on the heat. Eventually, the hard-hitting Bopanna - in all he unleashed 16 aces in the contest - managed to hold producing the big serve at the right moment.

Erlich lost his cool over some line calls at this stage, almost threatening to walk out, and the lapse in concentration only made matters worse as Bopanna broke in the eighth.

However Erlich did well to hang in there in the second set. ``I knew I had to wait. I had to be patient,'' revealed Erlich, who was ranked in the top 150 in the late 90s, with wins over the likes of Alberto Berasetegui to his credit.

Indeed, Erlich was patient as the second set moved towards the tie-breaker with both players holding serves. Then came the turning point of the contest. Erlich achieved a mini-break right at the beginning of the tie-breaker, when Bopanna hit a forehand long. The Israeli followed that up with two `heavy' serves and he had the early momentum. He maintained the lead keeping the ball deep and not allowing Bopanna the liberty to come in.

And when Bopanna did have an opportunity to volley and stretch the tie-breaker at 4-6, he buried a simple forehand into the net, after setting up the point nicely with a deep approach shot. The scores were level at one set all, and the experienced Erlich clearly had an edge going into the decider.

The loss of the close second set appeared to have dented Bopanna's confidence. He lost his serving rhythm and since much of his game revolves on his big serves, Bopanna, gradually faded away from the contest, with unforced errors too creeping into his play.

In stark contrast, Erlich became stronger as the match progressed, got more first serves in, produced a few some telling volleys too, and pounced on Bopanna's second serves.

Bopanna was broken in the second and eighth games, and for most part of the third set, his serve was under pressure. He still pulled off the odd sparkling shot, but by this stage, the Bangalore lad's game was working in fits and starts. It was all over in one hour and fifty minutes, when Bopanna struck a forehand wide.

lThe results:

Singles: Semifinals: 2-Eyal Erlich (Isr) bt Rohan Bopanna 2-6, 7- 6 (4), 6-2; 1-Lior Dahan (Isr) Michal Varsanyi (Slo) 6-2, 6-7 (5), 6-2.

Doubles: Final: Eyal Erlich & Lior Dahan (Isr) vs Prahlad Srinath & Ajay Ramaswami (Ind) 7-6, (7-1) suspended.

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