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Deccan ITF women’s tennis: At 17, youngest competitor Raducanu from Britain carves spot in final against compatriot Bains
Fifth seed Naiktha Bains came from one set down to win a 3-setter semi-final against eighth seed Peangtarn Plipuech. Raducanu went on to register her fifth break point in the final set of the match as she eased past the Russian Doroshina 6-3 in the final set.
After failing to stamp her authority in the first set, fifth seed Naiktha Bains came from one set down to win a 3-setter semi-final against eighth seed Peangtarn Plipuech during the NECC Deccan ITF $25,000 women’s tennis tournament at the Deccan Gymkhana on Saturday.
Unlike Bains, her compatriot Emma Raducanu faltered in the second set after winning the first against Russia’s Olga Doroshina. Both the young English women regained their composure at the right time to eliminate their respective opponents.
Bains and Plipuech got off to an even start with both players testing the waters early on in the game. Plipuech, who hails from Thailand, managed to break Bains’ serve in the fifth game. Playing her favourite stroke - the double handed backhand, the Thai won the following game with a powerful ace in the end to extend her lead to two points. In the following game, Plipuech managed to defend her serve and further extended her lead to three.
21-year-old Bains failed to get her forehand strokes right in the seventh game. Bains tried to return Plipuech’s backhanded stroke with a backhanded slice, but ended up slicing the ball into the net. Seeing the Brit frustrated with herself after being extremely lax, Plipuech took full advantage of the situation and broke the 21-year-old’s serve yet again and quickly wrapped up the final game and won the first set, without giving Bains a chance to recover.
However, Bains’ recovery was evident in the second set. After a nervy first game, the Brit emerged superior. She did not let her guard down in the following set and finally managed to break Plipuech’s serve to take an early 2-0 lead in the set. In the third game, the 21-year-old faltered with her backhand slice yet again and gifted points to her opponent, but recovered well to win the third game to establish a comfortable lead.
In the following game, on Plipuech’s serve, the Brit tried the backhand slice again, and yet again she failed to make the ball go over the net and into the other side of the court. Silly errors and complacent strokes allowed Plipuech to snatch the fourth game. Both players managed to defend their serve in the following two games. While Bains struggled with the slice, Plipuech played a backhand slice of her own and managed to get it absolutely right as she broke Bains’ serve to reduce the deficit to one-game.
With a chance to restore parity on her serve, 27-year-old Plipuech fluffed her lines as Bains’ bounced back. Finally managing to move her opponent around the court, the Brit managed to tire the Thai out, and earned crucial points. After a short but enthralling rally, Plipuech’s intricate forehand slice was able to notch her a point, but she eventually lost the game and subsequently the set to Bains.
The Thai was off to a nervy start in the decider, as she started off with a double fault. After failing to get her backhand slice right in three attempts previously, Bains was brave enough to attempt it again as she finally got that stroke right and eventually managed to break Plipuech’s serve in the first game itself. The 27-year-old Thai was starting to struggle after moving around the court a lot. As a result, it was difficult for her to break her opponent’s powerful serves.
Short and thrilling rallies which included not more than 16 shots in the third game saw Bains completely outplaying her opponent. The Thai was having an extremely challenging time in an effort to catch the pacey 21-year-old off-guard. She eventually managed to break Bains’ serve in the fourth game as the Brit miscued a few strokes. In the eighth game of the final set, Plipuech managed to draw level after breaking Bains’ serve again.
After drawing level, Plipuech struggled to match the quickness of the 21-year-old Brit as she started miscuing her shots. The energetic Bains toyed with the Thai, making the 27-year-old run from end-to-end, before nabbing a crucial point with a forehand slice which had Plipuech rooted to her spot. After four deuces in the final game, Bains finally managed to defend her advantage and won the deciding set-up an all English final.
Raducanu dumps Doroshina out in semis
Great Britain’s Emma Raducanu, 17, who was also the youngest competitor in the semi-finals, got off to a flyer as she took the first set 6-2 against Russia’s Olga Doroshina with absolute ease. The 17-year-old Brit broke Doroshina’s serve early on in the second set and launched herself into a 3-0 lead. However, just when it started to look like the British teenager would finish the game in straight sets, Doroshina bounced back.
The Russian came from 3-0 down to lead 3-4, and eventually went on to win the second set 4-6. After registering a crucial comeback in the second set with two break points, Doroshina struggled with consistency as she failed to carry the same form into the final set of the match. Raducanu went on to register her fifth break point in the final set of the match as she eased past the Russian 6-3 in the final set.
Semi-final Stats:
Naiktha Bains:
Aces - 4
Double Faults - 2
Break Points - 5/14
Games Won - 14
Emma Raducanu:
Aces - 2
Double Faults - 4
Break Points - 5/13
Games Won - 16
Finalists Speak:
“Naiktha [Bains] is a great player. We have not trained together a lot. Both of us have pretty good and contrasting game styles, so it is going to be a great match which I am looking forward to. Ranking does not bother me. I go into every match with a winning mindset.”
- Emma Raducanu, Great Britain, Finalist.
“It is good for both of us to be in the final, and obviously good for British tennis, but we have never played against each other before, so it will be a tough match. Playing my second final in two weeks feels good. I did not win the previous one, so a win here would certainly make things better.”
- Naiktha Bains, Great Britain, Finalist.
Results
Singles - Semi-finals:
Emma Raducanu (Great Britain) bt Olga Doroshina (Russia) 6-2, 4-6, 6-3
5-Naiktha Bains (Great Britain) bt 8-Peangtarn Plipuech (Thailand) 2-6, 6-3, 6-4
Doubles - Final:
2-Ulrikke Eikeri (Norway) & Yashina Ekaterina (Russia) bt Mishina Daria & Anna Morgina (Russia) 1-6, 6-3, 10-5.
