Ankita Raina has taken nine shots at entering the main draw of a Grand Slam, none closer than the one on Wednesday. Yet, despite a spirited fightback in the second set, Raina faltered in the final hurdle to go down to fast-rising Serbian teen Olga Danilovic 2-6, 6-3, 1-6 in the third qualifying round of the Australian Open in Dubai.
Despite the defeat, the second set turnaround may well turn out to be decisive for India’s top-ranked women’s singles player. Apart from the 16 men and women qualifiers each from Doha and Dubai, the Australian Open organisers will also give a ticket to Melbourne to six alternate players—or lucky losers as they are called—to replace any withdrawals before the main draw of the season’s first Slam from February 8. Due to the strict quarantine norms in Melbourne, the lucky losers will join the qualifiers in the two-week isolation period before the tournament.
Depending on other results of the final qualifying round and the Grand Slam lucky loser order, Raina may still get to fly to Melbourne, if not get to play the Australian Open. The 28-year-old though is willing to take the gamble, never mind the tough quarantine stay that could end up being for nothing. “If I do get a chance, then definitely I will go and try my luck there,” Raina said from Dubai on Wednesday.
That’s how eager the world No. 180 is to get into a maiden Grand Slam. In her eight previous attempts before this starting with the 2018 Roland Garros, Raina had never crossed the second qualifying round. She seemed determined to break the trend in this unique Australian Open qualifiers held outside Melbourne almost a month before the main tournament. After easing past lower-ranked Hungarian Reka-Luca Jani in straight sets in the opening round, Raina upset the 118th-ranked Katarina Zavatska of Ukraine 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 in the second round. But on Wednesday she ran into a 19-year-old Serbian who, although ranked three spots below the Indian, already has one WTA title triumph in her young professional career.
{{/usCountry}}That’s how eager the world No. 180 is to get into a maiden Grand Slam. In her eight previous attempts before this starting with the 2018 Roland Garros, Raina had never crossed the second qualifying round. She seemed determined to break the trend in this unique Australian Open qualifiers held outside Melbourne almost a month before the main tournament. After easing past lower-ranked Hungarian Reka-Luca Jani in straight sets in the opening round, Raina upset the 118th-ranked Katarina Zavatska of Ukraine 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 in the second round. But on Wednesday she ran into a 19-year-old Serbian who, although ranked three spots below the Indian, already has one WTA title triumph in her young professional career.
{{/usCountry}}Raina realises this was her big chance after all those tries, but remains confident that 2021 will be the season where she eventually fulfills her Slam dream,. “Yes, it feels like I have missed an opportunity but will I surely make it this year,” she said.
“Initially after the lockdown period it took time for me to get back to my level. But since the last tournament in Dubai in December 2020 (Raina won the ITF doubles title), I’ve got it back. Now I feel like I am playing good again, feeling confident about where I am with my game,” she added.
She showed glimpses of that on Wednesday. The southpaw Danilovic put Raina under the pump from the onset to run away with the first set. But once the Indian started serving a bit better, the Serbian was put under pressure. Raina broke her in the first game of the second set, which was enough to ride the advantage and force a decider. It was Danilovic’s turn to find the early break in it, and once she had her nose in front Raina was never allowed to claw back.
Raina’s downfall was her second serve, from which she won only 17 per cent of the points. That negated her impressive first serve percentage of 86. “It was a tough match. She played really well today, especially in the third set. But I am satisfied that I kept fighting till the end, even saving match points,” Raina said.