Nirupama shows no respect for Arthi

NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 14: Ball boys mysteriously reappeared at the 25,000 ITF women's tennis circuit at the DTA complex today. In at least ...

NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 14: Ball boys mysteriously reappeared at the 25,000 ITF women8217;s tennis circuit at the DTA complex today. In at least 10 out of 16 first round singles matches, players did not have to waste time running after balls, or risk injury looking beyond wooden boards with splinters. The organisers were able to save some money as balls did not keep disappearing and matches of course, got over much faster. The linesmen still have to get into their act, but perhaps, as they say, good things come in stages.

India No one Nirupama Vaidyanathan put an awesome display of power and precision in taking apart wild card Arthi Venkataraman. She later teamed with Tathiana Garbin to win their first round doubles match. The other Indians didn8217;t figure on the winners list. Nirupama next plays Frenchwoman Marina Caiazzo, whom she beat in three sets in the first round at Manila last week.

Tordoff, who won 6-4, 6-4, along with third seed Lucie Ahl, is coached by Ian Barclay, who was with former Wimbledonchampion Patrick Cash for 15 years 8212; according to Barclay 8220;from when he was very young through his Wimbledon title.8221; Like Cash, Barclay also an Aussie, is presently settled in England.

Meanwhile, Sai Jayalakshmy began well and was then decimated, as Urska Vesenjak beat her 4-6, 6-1, 6-1. Urska, watched by twin Masa who lost in final qualifying and her parents, grunted a la Monica Seles and cursed herself back into the match to win with absolute panache. The 17-year-old qualifier from Maribor, Slovenia, ranked 670, began playing on the circuit with Masa only in April this year.

Results

Singles first round:1-Tahiana Garbin ITA bt Benjamas Sangram THA 6-2, 6-1; Abigail Tordoff GBR bt Rushmi Chakravarthi IND 6-4, 6-4; 7-Lorna Woodroffe bt Riei Otakeyama JPN 7-5, 4-6, 7-5; 3-Lucie Ahl GBR bt Olga Kaliojnaja RUS 6-3, 6-1; Q-Maria Kondratieva RUS bt Rika Fujiwara JPN 6-1, 6-2; 5-Rika Hiraki JPN bt Daphne van de Zande BEL 4-6, 6-4, 6-4; 6-Nirupama Vaidyanathan INDbt WC-Arthi Venkataraman IND 6-0, 6-3; Marina Caiazzo FRA bt Katalin Miskolczi HUN 6-4, 6-4; Q-Urska Vesenjak SLO bt Sai Jayalakshmy IND 4-6, 6-1, 6-1; 4-Wynne Prakusya INA bt Helen Crook GBR 6-2, 6-3; 2-Katalin Marosi HUN bt Q-Tzu-Ting Weng TPE 6-3, 6-1.

DoubLes first round: Katalin Marosi/Banjamas Sangram HUN/THA bt Manisha Malhotra/Ka-Po Tong IND/HKO 6-1, 5-7, 6-3; Nirupama Vaidyanathan/Tathiana Garbin IND/ITA bt Anna Nefedova/Keiko Tameshi RUS/JPN 6-1; 6-1; Katarina Daskovic/Riei Otakeyama YUG/JPN bt Archana and Arthi Venkataraman IND 6-2, 6-2; Ju-Yeon Choi/Eun-Young Ha KOR bt Lucie Ahl/Abigail Tordoff GBR 6-4, 7-5; Rika Hiraki/Lorna Woodroffe JPN/GBR bt Sai Jayalakshmy/Rushmi Chakravarthi IND 6-1, 6-2; Rika Fujiwara/Wynne Prakusya JPN/INA bt Svetlana Mossiakova/Maria Kondratieva RUS 6-2, 6-1; Katalin Miskolczi/ Tzu-Ting Weng HUN/TPE bt Urska and Masa Vesenjak 6-0, 0-6, 6-4; Helen Crook/Victoria Davies GBR bt Karishma Patel/Radhika Tulpule IND7-5, 6-4.