Giant leap for Chetan Anand

Neither Chen’s attacking-onslaught at the start, nor the rallies later on to spoil Chetan’s positioning at the net, worked for the Chinese. “I didn’t let him control much, I anticipated his smashes,” Chetan said.

It was only apt that the win was sealed with a tame push from Chen falling limply in his own half of the court.

Chen, uncharacteristically heavyset for a Chinese, moved stiffly, and Chetan’s swift mobility was in stark contrast. It was the free mind though, which he attributed to the turnaround.

Resurrection

This resurrection at the India Open, though, had its share of ironies. “It was pure class — this one time when the whole court was vacant, and he picked up a shuttle to place it perfectly,” national coach P Gopichand gushed about Chetan. The two have clucked at each other not so long ago when he barred Chetan, his wife Jwala Gutta and her doubles partner Shruti Kurien from travelling abroad for a tournament before a BAI camp.

“Once the controversy was settled, I felt a load lifting off my shoulders,” Chetan said. Breezy Goa in January seemed to have done the trick. Chetan rediscovered his fluidity on his way to the title at the national meet, working his way up the rankings-ladder at 71.

Controversies over training camps seemed an eon away on Friday amidst screams of ‘Cheetah Chetan’ and ‘Chak De Chetan’.

The home-boy repaid the affection : “When I play in Hyderabad, the crowd takes me half-way. I only have to play half my game,” he gushed.

Pawar wilts

Anand Pawar, however, failed to put it across Englishman Andrew Smith, whose unconventional game saw the Indian go down 21-18, 21-19. The home pressure seemed to weigh down on Pawar, who, despite a 19-15 lead in the second game, wilted when faced with the former top-20’s snappy-game, as Pawar failed to get the rallies going.

How coach Arif helped from home

Chetan Anand’s coach SM Arif had been told he needn’t come for the quarter-final because he’s not affiliated with the association. “But we’d worked out a plan after I watched Chen’s match against JBS Vidyadhar yesterday. We figured that if Chetan kept the shuttle down and played parallel strokes from the net, Chen’s attacking game was in trouble,” Arif said, having watched the match on television.

Privy to every bit of Chetan’s trauma of last year, the coach says the 27-year-old even contemplated hanging up his racquet. Arif says though the damage to his ranking is done, this should set up a streak of bigger wins.

Arif says he would love to come court-side for the semi-final. “I don’t know what BAI’s hitch is. My presence could make a huge difference. I watch him year-round, and know my boy’s weak links. But they say they have their own coaches.” It won’t stop Arif from plotting the moves for his ward.