First of all, I was delayed nearly an hour by traffic on I-5 (congestion even on the intercity stretch - amazing .. where are all thes people going??? .. It was one continuous traffic jam all the way for the 60 miles to La Costa) ..
Shikha's match -- Anyway, I got there only when Shikha's first set was just over and according to Mahesh Uberoi, she was totally tight during the set and somehow managed to win the set ... Her opponent is a pretty good college player, playing for the USC and one of the best freshmen in college this past year, as she finished at #16 in ranking .. Nelson seemed to be playing very well (that happens with players who have nothing to lose -- Nelson had won the prequalifying tournament and earned the wildcard; she was going to try her best, which she did. Good player, and Shikha had a fight in her hands).
As I walked in Shikha dropped serve twice to fall behind 0-3 in the second set. Her first serves hardly fell in, and there was no spring in her legs. She seemed to be genuinely struggling. Apparently a bit of an asthma attack and also an upset stomach. She went to the back wall and was trying to catch her breath and a couple of times seemed to be ready to throw up too. Called in the trainer for a couple of minutes and she went back to play - was just not able to do her usual game of moving up to win points, etc. Nelson kept moving her side to side at the back (and Shikhs seemed to just not be able to do that to Nelson, strangely). Anyway, once the first serve percentage was so off, she was going to struggle. She made a come back, breaking Nelson twice to even it at 3-3 and served at 40-0 to take the lead, but then lost five points in a row with mistakes. She knew that Nelson was having trouble handling her slice (Shikha has a good one, though it is not her bread and butter), but in that game Nelson somehow hit a couple of them across and broke Shikha. She broke her back to even it at 4-4 but got broken once again, as Nelson served off the set after a decue.
Right at 75 46, Shikha then took a short bathroom break (actually just to use her inhaler to make sure that the mild asthma would not trouble her, and more importantly to throw up, as something she ate did not sit well with her; she admitted to me that this happens to her often, and I think some of it may be from gametime tightness ... IMHO Shikha can get tight and nervous in odd matches like this, while she shows no nerves in a lot of matches or at big points! - she is indeed a funny player that way
) ... Anyway, she was a totally different player 2 minutes later when she came back. Totally the old Shikha! .. The legs were suddenly there and she started moving up and causing hell for Nelson. She showed a lot of variety in her shots from the baseline, but really she does not have a huge weapon to win from there and she has to use her all court play to win points when the first serve (her real weapon) is not on. She did all of that. Nelson did pass her a few times, but there were some great volleys and touch shots Shikha played which didn;t evoke any answer. Broke Nelson in the second game after some 7 or 8 deuces and a couple fo break points, to go up 2-0 .. She kept the advantage to 4-2 .. That is when some trouble started again .. Shikha was down 15-40 on her serve and in danger of losiuung the one break advantage to a charged up nelson (I give that girl a lot of credit - she just refused to fold, and kept going for her shots like she didn't care for the devil) .. That is when the true Shikha showed up finally .. THE SERVE!!!! (where the heck was that all this while, girl??) .. Four straight points on big first serves, including two service winners and then a big ace at game point .. Lindsey Nelson still did not fold, and she took the next game to a deuce on her serve but by now there was no way in hell she could stop a fired up Shikha...
There was a very big Indian cheering squad for Shikha's match, partly in anticipation of the Sania match that was to follow (but the Indians - at least some 50 to 60 of them, which is big for a Quali match - came early and were t here throughout the SU match). It was also a loud Indian crowd, and I did not have to start them off or anything either. There was also a big SoCal chering squad for Nelson but the Indians won that battle -- I am sure that helped Shikha get back in the match in the 3rdf set.. She is one of those streaky players who can get down on herself and create trouble for herself. Get her pumped up and she does well ... This was probably the best attended and best-cheered qualifying matches I have ever seen, and I am sure Shikha liked it.
Anyway, this was a typical Shikha match .. Up and down with all the usual drama! .. Took 2 hour 45 minutes to finish! .. If her serve was on earlier, she could have won 64 64 though.
By the 3rd set, Mrs. Naseema Mirza, who was cheering Shikha, had to leave as the Sania match had been moved and was set to start on center court. Of course, I had to stick to my principles and had to keep cheering Shikha till the match was over (it is unpardonable for a fan to leave in the middle of a match!) ....
Then I heard the announcement at the cneter court - "Game, set Mirza, 6-1" .. and I said OK, Shik, finish this match fast so I could at least catch a little bit of Sania... Shikha obliged by breaking at 5-2 and finishing it ..
Sania match -- You don't expect a long match report on that, do you? ... I walked in, saw a bunch of forehand shots flying, and saw a Russian nearly ready to cry, figuratively speaking - heck, probably literally. Man, this was utter domination, as Voskoboeava just could not handle the forehand at all. She would either not reach it, or if she did she could not handle the pace .. There were some service return winners from Sania which were ridiculous. How the heck does she tee up on poor girls like this .. No mercy at all. Sania was on song. Match over in about 10 minutes after I walked in. Man, she is something else!
Anyway, after the match Sania told me that the stomach strain is still sore. Not getting worse or anything. She had taped up her stomach but was clutching the stimach a couple of times during the match. Did not seem to affect her play today, and hopefully it won't get worse or anything.
Naseema introduced me to sania's coach, John Farrington. He looked older than I expected. Very cool and friendly guy - I can see why Mahesh felt that h would be a good fit for Sania. The first thing Naseema talked to him was about Sania's volleying (so rest assured, they are also aware of the volley issue). Farrington was happy that Sania hit all five of her volleys correctly in the first set (she messed one up in the second, that's all) .. He said these are the kind of matches where she can try these things out and get better at it. I was wondering how far she has come - when she can "try things out" against a world #134 !!
Got media accreditation for myself and another TennisIndia correspondent (which will be Mr.Varma
) .. I cannot go tomorrow or monday but Tuesday looks possible. Varma may be able to go tomorrow ...
Jay
