Injured Tathiana concedes midway

NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 18: On a windy Saturday evening, top-seeded Italian Tathiana Garbin conceded the tie and the $25,000 ITF Women's Circu...

NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 18: On a windy Saturday evening, top-seeded Italian Tathiana Garbin conceded the tie and the $25,000 ITF Women’s Circuit title to second seed Katalin Marosi. Garbin withdrew at 1-1 in the second set after losing the first set 2-6, offering only a semblance of an attempt to battle on with pulled thigh muscle.

The Bologna-based Venetian did not want to aggravate the injury at her year-ending event. Garbin wants to play at the Australian Open in January, where she has a chance to make the main draw. “If I am very lucky, I should make it into the main draw,” she said. Otherwise, there is the grind of going through the qualifiers.

Meanwhile, Marosi, with her 12th title in a four-year career, said the win should move her climb to around 130 in the rankings her highest ever. Marosi, who was rarely tested in the event till her semi-final against Nirupama Vaidyanathan on Friday, was thankful that she could defend her points from this week last year.

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Garbin, who travels without a trainer,said the major problem was doctors here could not provide her proper treatment after she slipped and stretched a muscle during the semi-final. She added that perhaps the fact that she was tired, having played last week in Manila where she won the singles title and reached the doubles semifinal with Nirupama and this week in both singles and doubles contributed to her not taking any chances.

The good thing that may have come out of this event is the doubles pairing of Garbin and Nirupama. The Indian, who always had a problem when it came to finding a steady doubles partner when in Europe, can now depend on the Italian’s presence. “We have a good combination and we have decided to give it a try and play the women’s tour together as a team,” Garbin said.

From what one has seen of them together in this event, there are some good times ahead for Indian tennis (even if it’s half Italian).