Prarthana on song as India swamps Malaysia

April 17, 2015 02:05 am | Updated 02:05 am IST - HYDERABAD:

India's Prarthana Thombare had an easy outing aginst Malasysia's Yus Syazlin in the Group C singles match.Photo: Mohammed Yousuf

India's Prarthana Thombare had an easy outing aginst Malasysia's Yus Syazlin in the Group C singles match.Photo: Mohammed Yousuf

India, with a 3-0 verdict against Malaysia in the BNP Paribas Fed Cup Asia-Oceania Group II tennis championship at the Sports Authority of Telangana State (SATS) Tennis complex here on Thursday, advanced to Friday’s play-off against Turkmenistan.

For Prarthana Thombare, it was a 6-1, 6-0 cakewalk against Yus Syazlin Nabila Binti Yusri, while Ankita Raina stretched every sinew to subdue Jawairiah Noordin 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 in the singles. Thombare then teamed up with Natasha Palha to defeat Yusri & Theiviya Selvarajoo 6-0, 6-2 in the doubles.

Games went with serve till Thombare broke her Malay opponent in the fourth and sixth, while taking due care not to drop any of her own through the first set. The 20-year-old was in complete command in the next, signing off in the sixth game at love.

With both hands tight around the grip and racquet thrust forward, Raina was a picture of readiness to receive serve, her resolve to dominate evident when she wrested game two.  Jawairiah held her own in the fourth but that proved to be the lone gain in the opening set.

Percentage play impeded Raina’s charge in the second set, Jawairiah retaining serve in the third, as the duo traded breaks till the sixth. Laser-like returns from the 25-year-old’s forehand pushed the Ahmedabad native to the corner. Ankita’s moonballing misfired mostly, failing to put the brakes on her opponent’s power play.

Fatigue fettered Noordin in the decider, double-faults draining her drive, if not proving to be the death knell to her cause. As the two tired, Ankita showed more initiative, one devastating diagonal hit preventing her plunging into the precipice, after being precariously poised at 3-5. In the 10th, Raina broke Noordin at love putting the issue beyond doubt.  

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