Proper system needed for better future

I have been on the WTA Tour for around three-four years now and have organised all my tickets, visas, entries/withdrawls on my own. Of course, a few sponsors have partially chipped in, but I just hope the future would be more organised and a system will be worked out. Only then can things improve.

Travelling as a team solves many problems which could be related to safety, practice, doubles-partner, loneliness etc. Of late, the All-India Tennis Association has started helping promising players wanting to travel abroad for playing in tournaments there and that’s an encouraging sign.

In India, all sport, except cricket, are considered mere hobbies. If we start perceiving them as a profession, things can only change for the better.

Results (X Denotes seeds):

Group One: Pool A: Japan (X1) bt Kazakhstan 3-0 (Nana Miyagi bt Alissa Velts 7-5, 6-3; Yuka Yoshida bt Valeriya Khazova 6-4, 6-1; I Sugiyama/Shinobu Asagoe bt Alissa Velts/Valeriya Khazova 6-1, 6-0)

Thailand (X4) bt Hong Kong 2-1 (Napaporn Tongsalee (Tha) bt Olivia Graveraux (Hkg) 6-7 (5/7), 6-1, 11-9; Tamarine Tanasugarn (Tha) bt Tong Ka-po (Hkg) 6-3, 6-4; Benjamas Sangaran/Montika Anuchan lost to Chan Lee/Lam Po-Kuen 6-7 (2-7), 6-1, 1-6)

Pool B: China (X2) bt New Zealand 3-0 (Li Na bt Nikki Tippins 6-0, 6-2; Yi Jingqian bt Leanne Baker 6-3, 6-3; Li Fang/Li Na bt Leanne Baker/Shelley Stephens 6-1, 3-6, 6-3); Indonesia bt Taiwan (X3) 2-1 (Irawati Iskandar bt Tsai Ya-Fang 6-0, 6-4; Wynne Prakusya lost to Janet Lee 4-6, 2-6; Yayuk Basuki/Wynne Prakusya bt Janet Lee/Wang Shi-ting 6-1, 6-2)

South Korea bt Singapore 3-0 (Choi Jin-Young bt Tina Jacob 6-0, 6-0; Chung Yang-Jin bt Yik-Hui Leow 6-1, 6-0; Chae Kyung-Yee/Cho Yoon-Jeong bt Simin Liu/Yik-Hui Leow 6-0, 6-0)

Group two: Pool A: Uzbekistan bt Malaysia 3-0 (Luisa Biktyakova bt Pei Yuin Keng 6-3, 6-3; Iroda Tulyaganova bt Chen-Yee Liaw 6-0, 6-1; Luisa Biktyakova/Anna Shchupak bt Pei-Yuin Keng/Chen-Yee Liaw 6-4, 6-2); Fiji bt Iraq 3-0 (Hamidan Bibi bt Maral Khachik Awanes 6-0, 6-1; Archana Reddy bt Salima-Esmat Salman 6-2, 6-1; Petroena Fong/Walena White bt Alaa AA Ali/Maral Khachik Awanes 6-1, 6-1)

Pool B: Philippines (X2) bt Syria 3-0 (Czarina-Mae Arevalo bt Nivin Kezbari 6-0, 6-3; Maricris Fernandez bt Hazar Sidki 6-2, 6-1; Maricris Fernandez/Czarina-Mae Arevalo bt Nivin Kezbari/Hazar Sidki 6-2, 6-3); Pakistan bt Jordan 2-1 (Mehvish Chistie lost to Dina Dajani 1-6, 2-6; Nida Waseem bt Dina Naffa 6-0, 6-1; Nosheen Ehtesham/Nida Waseem bt Dina Dajani/Dina Naffa 6-2, 6-1); Tajikistan bt Sri Lanka 2-1 (Zinaida Shantalova bt Vajira Premaratne 7-6 (7-1), 6-3; Shalio Ibedullaeva lost to Manihsa Abeyawardene 4-6, 4-6; Roxana Abdurahimaanova/Zinaida Shantalova bt Manihsa Abeyawardene/Vajira Premarat 6-4, 6-4.