The Hindu : Mlynarik, from qualifier to champion

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Mar 23, 2003

Sport

Sport - Tennis

Mlynarik, from qualifier to champion

By Nandakumar Marar

Zbnek Mlyanarik of Austria, who won the Mumbai leg singles final of the ITF Futures tournament on Saturday. — Photo: Vivek Bendre

MUMBAI MARCH 22. Rohan Bopanna's ceaseless bombing was not enough to subdue Zbnek Mlynarik, a qualifier picking up the threads of his game after a year out due to stress fracture injury of the ankle.

The bustling Indian Davis Cupper hurled down 15 aces in a span of two hours on a hardcourt favourable for his type of game, but found his Austrian rival refusing to get intimidated.

Eventually, the fight for points moved beyond physical limits into a battle of will. Two sets extended into tie-breakers, it became a question of who would blink first. Bopanna did, as the pressure got to him in the men's singles final of the International Tennis Federation's men's Futures Mumbai leg on Saturday.

Mlynarik moved from qualifier to contender to champion, winning 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-5) to take an important step forward in his comeback year on the international circuit.

The Austrian, ranked way down the ITF list at 864 but worthy of playing several notches above, banked on experience to keep going with the odds stacked against him, survived the ace barrage to walk away a worthy, relieved winner.

He pocketed 18 ATP points, $ 1,950 prizemoney and now moves to Kolkata for the next Futures leg armed with abundant confidence after defeating one of the better servers on the Futures circuit, ranked 344th.

"Having played Grand Slams before my leg injury forced me out for a year, I knew there were a few players who can play at my level," said Mlynarik, whose mental strength came through in the two tie-breakers, where serve is considered a potent weapon.

"He is a big server so my strategy was to somehow see to it that I don't get broken. The tie-breaker is a mental game, so in case his first serves didn't go in, I had a chance to pressurise him on the second serve."

The Austrian backed his assessment with solid play on big points, in between a barrage of aces from the fifth-seeded Indian.

Bopanna's volleying was off target as the match wore on, his eagerness to hit winners at the first opportunity backfired when unforced errors mounted, allowing Mlynarik to get away by just keeping the ball in play.

As he revealed later, the qualifier had enough Grand Slam experience to build on the momentum. "I didn't expect to win, just came here to play and see how my body responds. There was no pressure on me."

The fifth seed had enough opportunities to turn the match around, especially in the latter part when serving for the set at 5-4 with a break up, but allowed the pressure to get the better of him.

Instead of taking charge at this critical juncture, he lost nerve and serve, and even suffered a twisted ankle in the process as a relieved Mlynarik grabbed the lifeline with both hands to level 6-6 and win the second tie-breaker in succession.

Bopanna had to remain content with 12 ATP points and $ 1350 in this ITF Futures organised and sponsored by Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association at the Dr. G.A. Ranade Tennis Centre.

The results:

Men's singles final: Zbnek Mlynarik (Austria) bt 5-Rohan Bopanna (India) 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-5).

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