Mumbai: Having already won the opening game 21-18, top seed Rituparna Das took a 13-6 lead in the second stanza and was a few strokes away from entering the semi-finals of the Tata Open International Series. With momentum on her side, Das extended her lead to 16-8 only to see Ira Sharma close the gap on her in the next five minutes. The contest was no longer a lopsided encounter as 17-year-old reigning junior national champion Sharma prolonged rallies and played delicate cross-court slices to turn the tables.
File image of Rituparna Das. Facebook: Rituparna Das
Das, who often failed to lift the shuttle from the forecourt, gifted a number of points to Sharma, who made a remarkable comeback to win the second game and force the match into a decider. "I just couldn't take control of my shots from the frontcourt area. Every time I would play a shot, I would feel that it won't cross the net," Das admitted after the match.
After missing out on playing most of the major tournaments in the Badminton World Federation (BWF) calendar year due to a persistent hip injury, the Tata Open was Das's first event since the World Badminton Championships in August, where she was shown the door in the second round. Das had skipped the India International Series tournament in Hyderabad a week ago but amid training sessions, she discovered a new problem, this time on her right shin. "While I was practicing in Hyderabad, I encountered a shin strain and because of the pain, I started to lose concentration," a dejected Das said.
Eventually, it was Sharma who sealed a thrilling 18-21, 21-18, 21-19 win. But it was a clash where Das let her opponent take the match away from her. "As Ira prolonged the rallies, Rituparna was finding it difficult to move around the court. She couldn't hit forehand strokes as the shin injury which she picked up a week ago did not allow her to move freely," assessed Amrish Shinde, one of the coaches at the Pullela Gopichand Academy, where Das trains.
Before the quarter-final clash, Das had defeated Shikha Gautam and Vaidehi Choudhari quite convincingly on Thursday. Although this might be her first tournament after a three-month gap, it was clearly evident that the 2016 Syed Modi International winner lacked sharpness. Her movements on the court were a bit sluggish and on the slow court, Das struggled to reach the shuttle at times. "She didn't look confident while playing shots, especially on her forehand side. The injuries since the start of the year have caused a lot of problems. She is still undergoing rehab for the hip injury. It has not completely recovered and needs more time," explained Shinde.
Hampered by her short height, Das is known for her wristy shots and the variety of strokes. While she doesn't hit winners regularly, against lanky shuttlers, she utilises her strokeplay to unsettle them. "Rituparna's strokeplay is good. She mixes her shots well and plays a patient game whenever a rally is approaching," said Shinde.
However, stamina and match fitness have been the undoing of the Haldia native, who is still finding a way out to remain focused in the deciding game at crucial times. “She played in the US and Thailand but always lost her matches because she got tired as the matches wore on. So, her fitness remains a concern and for us as coaches, her condition does not look good enough,” said Shinde.
Even before the injury, Das did not have the best of starts to this season, crashing out in the Round of 32 or Last 16 in the 10 competitions she has competed so far. At 21, Das is India's third-ranked women's singles player after PV Sindhu and Saina Nehwal but she is placed 43 places behind Saina (10) at 53 in the latest BWF rankings. This is a worrying fact, indicative of the lack of depth in India's female singles shuttlers.
The next generation of women's singles players have not ruffled many feathers in recent times, which appears to be a major concern for Indian badminton. At the same time, the men's singles section still looks so much more competitive. Tanvi Lad, who was out of action from April to August due to injuries, is floating between women's singles and doubles while India's fourth-ranked female shuttler Shri Krishna Priya Kudaravalli was knocked out by eighth seed Ruthvika Shivani Gadde in the pre-quarters of the Tata Open.
Das and Kudaravalli emerge as the talented duo who could follow in the footsteps of Sindhu and Saina. However, if Das can manage to shed her indifferent form, maybe there's a possibility of breaking into the top 25 by next year. But before that, Das' priority must be to overcome injuries. "I'm just tired of the series of injuries. I feel frustrated at times as it affects the mental aspect of my game. I don’t like running, but I’ve started doing it now in training. I’ve made my peace with it because I’m tired of being injured. I want to get my fitness up," she concluded.
Published Date: Dec 02, 2017 11:21 am | Updated Date: Dec 02, 2017 11:21 am