Volley from valley: Determined Prinkle Singh makes right moves

CHENNAI : What is Jammu & Kashmir known for? Scenic beauty and a lot of unrest, right? It's not the best of situations for an aspiring sportsperson. But from the valley comes inspiring tales. Prinkle Singh is at the centre of one such. The 17-year-old is the top seed in the girls' section in the Adidas MCC U-18 national clay court tennis championship.Prinkle was just four when her father decided to send her to Chandigarh, so that her studies and other activities did not come to a standstill because of problems back home. 

He stayed back, to take care of his parents and the two colleges he runs. Prinkle has been in Chandigarh since, with her mother. But instead of growing up to be just another girl, she took up tennis. Results have been encouraging, as her No 3 ranking in the national U-18 circuit shows. "My father took me to Chandigarh when I was four. He still lives in Greater Kailash (a place in Jammu). He was worried that the uncertainty in the region might spoil my career," said Prinkle, who visits her father once or twice a year. 
"I hardly know anybody else. I am mostly at home when I'm there."

Making most of the facilities in Chandigarh, Prinkle has made a name for herself in the national junior circuit. She has won the U-14 national clay and grass court titles thrice each. "I was also runner-up twice in the U-16 nationals and lost in the semifinals of the U-18 championship. This year, I am confident of winning this title," she said.It's been a frustrating experience for Prinkle and other players in Chennai so far, because of rain, which forced postponement of girls' second-round matches to Wednesday. "It's very disappointing because I haven't played yet after the main draw started. In the first round, I got a bye. It will be tiring to play two matches on Wednesday," said Prinkle.

However, she is confident about doing well in the tournament. "The competition is really good this time. I need to be ready for players like Kaavya Sawhney (second seed from Uttar Pradesh), whom I may play in semifinals. Last year I lost in the semifinals and this year I will give my best to take home the title," said the Rafael Nadal fan. ''My dream is to meet Rafa, a photograph with him and take an autograph."

nithin.k@newindianexpress.comSelect results: Boys 2nd round: Megh Bhargav Kumar Patel (1, Guj) bt Yeswanth Loganathan (TN) 6-2, 6-3. 1st round: Rhy­t­hm Malhotra (4, Del) bt Chetan Pras­hant Ga­diya (Guj) 6-3, 6-4; Nikit M Reddy (6, AP) bt Ashutosh Tiwari (UP) 6-4, 6-4; Denim Ya­dav (MP) bt Udit Kamboj (8, Har) 6-3, 5-7, 6-4.