Aishwarya defies odds

PUNE, Feb 23: They need to adopt more power play, only then will the ladies competition see some challenging ties,'' commented a passer...

PUNE, Feb 23: 8220;They need to adopt more power play, only then will the ladies competition see some challenging ties,8221; commented a passerby after seeing the proceedings in the girls events at the PYC Hindu Gymkhana courts during the ongoing Hero-Honda Masters junior tennis tournament.

His intention definitely was not to hurt the game8217;s spirit but the remark highlighted the lack of excitement, usually borne out of speed, from a spectator8217;s point of view.

And justifying his comment, a majority of the matches played today were restricted to baseline action with seeded players winning without much sweat.

However, one player managed to make an impression despite such odds 8212; Kolhapur8217;s Aishwarya Jadhav. The little known lass, even if not playing an aggressive game, certainly gave a hint or two about the sport having reached the grassroots even to places away from the centre of action such as Mumbai and Pune, and to the common public. A healthy sign which signals a good future for tennis, and which was evident when unseeded Aishwarya defeated her Mumbai rival Jinal Zhaveri 9-2 in the girls U-12 section. She thus becomes the first entry besides the Pune and Mumbai players to advance into the quarter-final stage.

Girls u-10: Neeraja Hingane Pune bt Anuja Bagal Pune 8-0; Parija Maloo Khamgao bt Devika Chivale Pune 8-1; Nikita Atal Pune bt Rosika Sankpal Pune 8-0; Sonia Patwardhaan Pune bt Vaidehi Patil Pune 8-3; Roshni Luthra Mumbai bt Shweta Marathe Pune 8-2; Sayali Phathaak Pune bt Mihika Karve Pune 8-6.
Girls u-12: Nidhi Shah Mumbai bt Gayatri Pawar Pune 9-2; Sagarika Phadke Pune bt Preeti Sathe Pune 9-5; Tilsi Mehta Mumbai bt Pankti Chheda Mumbai 9-3; Aishwarya Jadhav Kolhapur bt Jinal Zhaveri 9-2; Kanisha Shaah aPune bt Mughda Barve Pune 9-0; Shraddha Lodha Pune bt Kimaya Karve Pune 9-1.
Girls u-14: Priyanka Metha Pune bt Nancy Jharna Mumbai 9-1; Soumya Kowtha bt Nandita Paranjpe Sangli 9-1; Namrata Bhosale Pune bt Ekta Shah Pune 9-4; Uttara Rao Mumbai bt Neha Sane Pune 9-0; AIsha Lakhaani Mumbai bt Jaai ACahaaitanis Pune 9-1.
Girls u-16: Avanee Gokhale Pune bt Preeti Bhatiya Pune 9-8 7-3.