Sonal enters second round

MUMBAI, JANUARY 25: Winning your first Grand Slam round, albeit in the juniors, is a dream-come-true enough. To be congratulated by the li...

MUMBAI, JANUARY 25: Winning your first Grand Slam round, albeit in the juniors, is a dream-come-true enough. To be congratulated by the likes of Martina Hingis, Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario and Pete Sampras on the same day can make you walk on air.

Mumbai lass Sonal Phadke must be doing exactly that, after winning her opening round match in the Australian Open junior girls8217; singles on Tuesday morning. Sonal cruised past Linda Fallon Australia 6-2, 6-2, to set up a formidable second round clash with third seed Lubomira Kurhajcova Slovakia. Lubomira had accounted for Nida Waseem Pakistan 8212; Sonal8217;s erstwhile doubles partner 8212; 6-1, 6-2.

The other Indian in the fray, Pune8217;s Radhika Tulpule, had lost 1-6 2-6 to eighth seed Melissa Dowse Australia in the first round on Monday. Radhika, partnering Nida, also bowed out in the first round of the doubles on Tuesday, losing 2-6, 1-6 to the fifth-seeded Australian pair of Monique Adamczak and Samantha Stosur.

Sonal8217;s 47-minute demolition of Linda wasworkmanlike, if statistics are any indication. She got in a whopping 89 per cent first serves in 16 out of 18 during the first set, and lost only two points off her own service.

She stepped into Linda8217;s weak second serve 41 with delight, and 17 of her 30 first set points came from there. Sonal had fewer double faults one to Linda8217;s four, fewer unforced errors 12 to Linda8217;s 39 and more winners 10 to Linda8217;s seven.

Sonal8217;s game was a notch lower in the second set, with the first serve per cent dropping to 73. But Linda8217;s game was going to pieces too. Sonal8217;s mother, speaking to The Indian Express in Mumbai, said, 8220;Sonal was speechless when she called us to tell us about the win. It was unexpected, especially because the girls abroad are physically far superior to Sonal.8221;

Apparently, Hingis, Sampras, Arantxa and Chanda Rubin were among the players shaking her hands in congratulations, Mrs Phadke said. 8220;It8217;s difficult to decide who is happier 8212; Sonal or us.8221;