Ankita Raina beat Chieh-Yu Hsu 6-4, 5-7, 6-1 in 2 hours and 53 minutes. (Express Photo by Abhinav Saha)
Unlike the centre court, the compact show court at the DLTA complex doesn’t offer an enclosure for team benches. Teammates and coaches thus crowd the seats right behind the chair umpire, keeping themselves within earshot of the competitors at the changeovers. The increasingly-shrill Chinese Taipei contingent did so dutifully, spurring on Pei-Chi Lee during the first singles rubber of Saturday’s Fed Cup Asia/Oceania relegation playoff. Karman Kaur Thandi, however, had to go about it herself for majority of the first set.
With two teammates looking on disinterestedly and two others sauntering in after three games, only to sit in a corner of the opposite stand, Thandi had nobody to reciprocate the fist-pumps except captain Ankita Bhambri. And when the 19-year-old failed to serve out the set, Bhambri was left resembling a conductor without the orchestra, waving her arms frantically to bring the band together. “It has been a little tough because they are all grown-ups. They all compete individually on the circuit so it can get a bit uncomfortable sometimes, to have someone from the outside, telling them stuff. It may not feel familiar,” said Bhambri, whose first assignment eventually ended with India retaining their spot in the zonal group as Thandi beat Lee 7-6 (4), 6-3 and Ankita Raina overcame Chieh-Yu Hsu 6-4, 5-7, 6-1 in the country’s longest Fed Cup rubber, a 2 hour fifty-three minute encounter.
“I have (captained) the junior Fed Cup team, so that experience helped. These were tough teams. I was extremely happy, that the players were taking the inputs and doing it in the matches and get the results. You could see the improvement over four days.”
Learning curve
Thandi would be the prime example of that. After losing her first two matches, the world No.284 put in a competent performance against Hong Kong. Against Chinese Taipei, after clinching the first set in a tiebreak, Thandi broke at 4-3 and served out the match. “I have grown in confidence in these four days,” said Thandi after the rubber. “I realised the mistakes I was making under pressure and we kept working on them.”
While the big serves remain high-risk, high-reward — Thandi finished with seven aces and five double faults to Lee’s one and two — she was able to raise her game on crucial points. Thandi went 4-2 from 0-2 in the tiebreak and saved a break point in the opening game of the second set.
“She got control over her nerves, and served sensibly at the right time,” says coach Aditya Sachdeva. “She needs to improve physically a bit. But these are promising signs for the upcoming season.”
Slow grind for Raina
Along with the seating plan, change in court also resulted in a slight change in the playing surface. The recently relaid hardcourt was slower than the centre court, and caused the ball to bounce that much higher. While it helped the six-footer Thandi to whack the ball, the switch troubled Ankita Raina. Her lefty opponent Chieh-Yu Hsu brought the usual sinister angles and spins, along with the out-wide serve.
The opening game set the tone and the pace. Raina failed to adapt quickly enough as Hsu attacked the backhand to force a 0-40 lead. Raina saved all three break points, and a fourth, before hitting a forehand wide to concede the break. The Indian got back on serve in the fourth game before a three-game-long exchange of breaks saw Raina close out the first set.
The one hour 23 minute-long second set saw seven breaks, as both players engaged in sloppy baseline slugfests. The slower court took out the sting from Raina’s groundstrokes, as Hsu retrieved and put heavy topspin on the balls. The marathon sixth and seventh games lasted 26 minutes and featured 12 deuce point but no breaks.
“The balls got heavier, and the court too helped her out. Main kitna bhi zor se maaru, she would return everything,” said Raina. “I lost the set and decided there was no point in rallying.”
The 25-year-old decided to keep the points short for the third set, rushing to the net and creating short angles. Hsu, playing with a hurt shoulder, lost her serve thrice as Raina served out the match to love, remaining undefeated in singles.
“These were some very good matches. Every match brought different challenges, and it will definitely add to my experience,” said Raina.
“These matches should help all the players out. Even the reserves were keeping busy and getting some on-court time,” says Bhambri, who admits the absence of an injured Sania Mirza made the ties tougher.
“Obviously, if she was playing, it could have been better for us. We wouldn’t be facing relegation. Without the losses in doubles, we could have had a realistic shot at promotion.”
India may have remained where they started, but with Bhambri bringing the aloof millennials together — be it through on-court guidance, impromptu photoshoots or lengthy high-five sessions — there’s potential for something resembling a team.