Local challenge gets booted out

October 13: The bridge between the good and the bad at the UN Mehta Memorial ITF women's circuit tournament here today happened to be too...

October 13: The bridge between the good and the bad at the UN Mehta Memorial ITF women8217;s circuit tournament here today happened to be too wide. And the outcome was pretty ugly. The top eight seeds were on a different plane compared to the rest of the field, and result were overwhelmingly lopsided second round matches at the AGETA courts. In six out of the eight matches played today, the loser could not win more than two games.

The start of the second day was delayed due to overnight rains. But the bright sunlight in the morning with the sight of four Ahmedabad girls on all the four courts. But as was expected, the sun set on the local players very soon. There was not much of a difference between the qualifiers or the seasoned local players. Jinal Patel, Nikita Bhardwaj and Shweta Ravji drew a blank while Niyati Shetty and Karishma Patel just managed two games.

The beneficiaries for these freebies were Shruti Dhawan, Orawan Wongkamalasai, Sai Jayalakshmi, Archana Venkatraman and Rushmi Chakravarthi. Inanother match, Anna Nefedova drew some sweat in her 6-3, 6-2 win over Priyanka Deskmukh while Sadiya Pathan was unlucky when she had to conceded the match due to injury against Arthi Venkatraman.

The most eagerly anticipated quarter-final match will be between Bangalore8217;s Archana and Chandigarh8217;s Shruti Dhawan. The two faced each other just last week at the National women8217;s championship where in a close match Shruti won the deciding set on the tie-breaker 10-8. Playing down the revenge part, Archana called it just another tennis match but certainly special.

The other clash pits the two Thai girls Orawan and Montika Anuchan. The WTA rankings and national seeding are in Orawan8217;s favour, but from Montika8217;s form it seems there is very little to choose between the two.

RESULTS:

Singles first round; seedings in bracket:

1-Archana Venkatraman bt Niyati Shetty 6-1, 6-1; 8-Shruti Dhawan bt Jinal Patel 6-0, 6-0; 3-Sai Jayalakshmi bt Shweta Ravji 6-0, 6-0; 5-Arthi Venkatraman bt Sadiya Pathan6-1, 4-6, 15-0 match conceded due to injury; 7-Montika Anuchan bt Tara Kambargimath 6-1, 6-0; 4-Orawan Wongkamalasai bt Nikita Bhardwaj 6-0, 6-0; 6-Rushmi Chakravarthy bt Karishma Patel 6-2, 6-3; 2-Anna Nefedova bt Priyanka Contractor 6-2, 6-3.

Doubles:

Sadiya Pathan amp; Tara Kamabargimath conceded match to Nikita Bhardwaj amp; Trishna Williams; Anna Nefedova amp; Stutti Smit bt Neha Bhardwaj amp; Jinal Patel 4-1 match conceded; Juthika Choksi amp; Shalini Thakur bt Karishma Patel amp; Priyanka Contractor 7-5, 2-6, 6-1.

Sandeep Dwivedi

Sandeep Dwivedi is the Sports Editor at The Indian Express. He is one of India's most prominent sports journalists, known for his deep analytical insights and storytelling that often goes beyond scores and statistics to explore the human and cultural side of sports. Professional Profile Role: As the Sports Editor, he leads the sports coverage for the newspaper and the website. Weekly Column: He writes "The Sports Column," a weekly feature where he provides sharp, narrative-driven perspectives on the biggest sporting news of the week. Podcast: He is a frequent contributor to the "Express Sports" podcast (Game Time), where he discusses evolving trends in cricket and other international sports. Areas of Expertise While Dwivedi covers the entire sporting spectrum, his work is particularly noted in the following areas: Cricket: He provides extensive coverage of the Indian National Team and the IPL. He frequently analyzes the leadership styles of figures like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Gautam Gambhir. He is known for tracking the transition phases of Indian cricket and the evolution of specific players like Kuldeep Yadav and Rishabh Pant. Athletics & Olympic Sports: He has written extensively on Neeraj Chopra’s rise in javelin, the nuances of Indian shooting, and tennis legends like Sania Mirza and Leander Paes. Human Interest Stories: A hallmark of his writing is his focus on the struggles and backgrounds of athletes, such as the sacrifices made by Shafali Verma’s father or the "silent battles" of veteran players like Cheteshwar Pujara. Notable Recent Work & Themes Leadership and Dynamics: Recently, he has written about the dynamic between Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, and Rohit Sharma, arguing that personal friendship is not a prerequisite for team success. Sports & Culture: His articles often intersect with global culture, such as his deep dive into the 100-year legacy of the Harlem Globetrotters and their role as American soft power during the Cold War. The "Grey Areas" of Sport: He often addresses sensitive topics like the mental health of cricketers post-retirement, the "outrage industry" in sports broadcasting, and the impact of fan-wars on the game. Tenure and Experience Dwivedi has been with The Indian Express for over three decades. This experience allows him to provide historical context to modern sporting events, often comparing current crises or triumphs to those of previous generations. You can follow his latest work and columns on his official Indian Express Author Profile. ... Read More