India come back from deficit

Not once but twice India survived against hosts New Zealand leaving coach Enrico Piperno sitting on the edge on a day when even the weather virtually froze all present for the Asia/Oceania, Group I round robin encounter.

Not once but twice India survived against hosts New Zealand leaving coach Enrico Piperno sitting on the edge on a day when even the weather virtually froze all present for the Asia/Oceania, Group I round robin encounter.

8220;Tough call,8221; summed up the coach, who after two days of comfort, admitted 8220;we surely need to do some serious thinking and up the ante if we8217;ve got to make the final.8221;

Wednesday at the Scenic Circles Tennis Centre, the hosts had 16-year-old Sacha Jones 8212;fresh from winning a grade one International Spring Championship Junior tournament at Carson, California 8212; live up to the expectations. Ranked 557, the teenager overcame a 0-4 deficit to shock world No 236 Shikha Uberoi 7-6 5, 6-3. 8220;Honestly, Sasha played some mind blowing tennis, something common among teenagers who have nothing to lose,8221; explained the coach.

While Piperno fairly credited Sasha, he also said that it took only 8220;a couple of bad games8221; from Shikha. Sasha8217;s victory justified just why New Zealand were 8220;not going to be easy,8221; as Piperno had predicted on Tuesday, and particularly when history favoured the hosts. New Zealand had a 3-1 advantage from the four previous meetings 8212; Wellington 8217;97, Taiwan 8217;01, Guangzhou 8217;02. India had won in 2006 in Korea.

Sunitha Rao though, showed she could handle the pressure and be relied upon. Taking on New Zealand8217;s No 1 for the tournament, Leanne Baker, Sunitha, ranked 49 places above Leanne, did not disappoint and levelled the scores with a 6-4, 6-2 win. In the doubles, Sunitha and Shikha, who Piperno said 8220;took time to understand each other8217;s game,8221; choked in the first set, and then came within two points of losing the tie to overcome Leanne and current national champion Dianne Hollands 2-6, 7-6 1, 6-1.

For coach Piperno the win was all that mattered, but asked if he is seriously thinking of the line-up that will take on Chinese Taipei on Friday, he added 8220;Look, I don8217;t have options. The best are on show. My job is to field the best, but it8217;s up to them out on court.8221;