Indian upcoming TT player Yashaswini Ghorpade lost 13-11, 11-9, 11-3 to Japanese Miwa Harimoto over the weekend at the US Smash, a top tier tournament internationally. Though she has managed to re-enter the Top 100 this week, and is at World No 99 currently, her title-winning turn at UTT, India’s franchise league in June alerted her to challenges of the whole wide world, beyond the domestic bragging rights.
U Mumba beat Jaipur Patriots 8-4 in the UTT finals, after Ghorpade had helped yank the team, holding her nerve in the semis. But beyond the euphoria was a stack of lessons learnt, some that got drilled down at the Smash (like a Grand Slam).
Ghorpade led the World No 6 Japanese 11-10 and 9-8 in the first two games, and lost her advantage from there, before a drubbing in the third. The 20-year-old youngster had delved into what possibly stops Indians from pressing home their advantage and frittering their leads – something that was seen even with Indian No 64 Sreeja Akula at the Olympics.
“Maybe at that moment, the top players take the opportunity and the lesson is to not play it safe at that juncture,” she had said last month. “They pounce at the chance.” Ahead of flying out for the circuit, the youngster had also noted another takeaway from watching foreign stars turn out at UTT. “They tend to have good serves which gives them the upperhand,” Ghoroade said.
The Bangalorean stumbled into TT at age 7 or 8. “I used to watch TV and be very lazy. Parents decided they had to do something because I was falling sick often too. We had TT coaching at school so it was easily accessible,” Ghorpade recalls. (U Mumba)
At the Orleans Arena where the Smash was hosted, the Bangalorean youngster frittered her service opportunities twice when leading on the cusp of taking the games. Though she might be the first of Indians to lean onto an attacking style despite playing with a pimple rubber, the power differential often shows up.
“Top players just have a better technique on their power game,” she would say. The maddening schedule in TT where they will play in Americas, Europe, China and other parts of Asia in quick succession means hard-core training blocks are few and far in between. “We don’t get to train a lot, but I do my strength training, lifting weights, twice a week,” she would add.
The UTT triumph though was especially satisfying. “It’s very different from the international circuit. You realise how top paddlers prepare, there’s shoots and interviews, and contribute to team as against taking all pressure on yourself,” she said.
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Matches might be shorter, but they demand focus and afford no breathers. “In UTT pressure is different. You are not supposed to lose concentration even for a second or momentum changes in 3 sets as against five,” Ghorpade added. 4-7 down in her semis against a higher ranked opponent, she had turned the tables, but there was plenty of catching up to do with the top players.
“What I learnt was that foreign players are very quick. But I also got to see their routine and how they keep focus on match days, as well as recovery sessions. I’ve realized recovery is most important,” she says, hoping to carry forward these learnings when she is in the cauldron of the circuit.
The Bangalorean stumbled into TT at age 7 or 8. “I used to watch TV and be very lazy. Parents decided they had to do something because I was falling sick often too. We had TT coaching at school so it was easily accessible,” Ghorpade recalls.
The pimples carry the usual jeopardy though they can offer surprise value up front. “I use a pimple rubber on the backhand but it’s not easy,” she says. “It’s tough to get control and opponent gets used to the momentum. Then you have to mix things up,” she explains, adding her strengths are patience in rallies and general control on the back hand, even if it takes a lot out of her.
How does she unwind? “Bollywood music,” she ends.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
