The Indian Express (Delhi Edition)
Drop by drop, on cusp of glory
Sharan’s strong serve and Raja’s prowess at the net take the pair to their first final at the Chennai Open
Andresmoltenistrucktheballhardandtrue. Afull-bloodedforehandhitfromjustinsidethe baseline.itwasashothitwithmorevenombecause of the frustration Purav Raja and Divij Sharanhadcausedtheargentineandhiscompatriotguillermoduran.andthepointstilldidn’t go their way.
Raja had stayed closer than arm’s length from the net. Molteni’s forehand came to him attherateofknots.therewasn’tmuchtimefor him to move his feet. It didn’t matter though. Raja’splayismoreabouthiswristworkthanhis movement.hestoodpoised,throwinghisracquetattheincomingball.yetwiththesoftestof hands, he guided it back over the net for a drop shotthatleftbothargentinesrootedtothespot.
It brought up set point in the first set of the doubles semi-final at the Chennai Open.
It would take them another 35 minutes to closeoutthematchtoprogresstotheirfirstever final at the tournament, winning 6-4, 6-2.
Raja was a menace at the net. But it wasn’t exactlyanarrayofshotsthathehadtounleash to uproot the Argentinian pair. Rather, just the simple soft-handed dink over the net that wouldsinktotheclosingsecondbouncewithoutmuchfussordelay.hedidneedhispartner Sharan’s strong service game to play ally to the drop-shot assault.
The share of responsibilities in the Sharanraja duo is straightforward. Sharan, the lefthander,isthehardworkerwhooperatesmainly onthebaseline.raja,meanwhile,isamasterat the net. The duo worked in perfect sync, especially on Sharan’s serve, since the Delhi boy is the stronger server and Raja the stronger volleyer.theycutdownpointstotwoshotsand conceded only three points in the first set on their serve.
“Wewerebothfeelingittoday,”sayssharan, after they became the first Indian pair to reach thefinalinchennaisincemaheshbhupathiand Leander Paes won the tournament in 2011.
Sharan served in the sixth game of the first set,withtheindianduoalreadyabreakup3-2. The first three points were almost identical. Sharanserveddownthet,theopponentwould sendareturnthatrajawouldkilloff–cushioning his volley so the ball would drop just a few inches from the net on the Argentinians' side.
Over the past year, Sharan-raja have mastered the I-formation – where the server and volleyer would be positioned in almost a straight line — to bag four Challenger titles and an ATP 250 event victory.
“It’s been working well for us. It keeps the opponent guessing on which way the volleyer will move and it’s good to play those mind games,” Sharan says.
Also deceptive is Raja’s physical prowess. Although he admits he isn’t one of the fittest professionalplayersaround,hisquickhandsat thenetandcourt-craftmakeupforit.he’salso an astute reader of the game.
“I’mdefinitelyworkingtowardsgettingfitter, stronger and faster. I’m playing with an extremelyfitandfastplayerindivij.everyonehas their strengths and we know how to hide our weaknesses. But this is one area I’m trying to workonandithasdefinitelygottenbetter,”raja adds.
The 31-year-old killed off the last point in thematchaswell—againusingthesamestrategy. Sharan served down the T at 40-15, and Raja neatly tapped the ball into play — in a style thatissteadilybecomingtheirsignaturemove.
A benefit of the outer court, at least for the audience,isthattheyareveryclosetotheplayers. After the dominating win, the pair was hounded for autographs and selfies. They soaked in the their new-found stardom.
Even at the post-match press conference, thepairwashappytosharemorethantheusual allotted time.
“It’s great that they (fans) like us now. We are improving match by match. So I hope Indiansfinallygettoknowaboutus,”saysraja.
In their first-round match at the event, the pair took down Indian legend Leander Paes, who had paired up with Brazilian Andre Sa. In thefinal,thereisapossibilitythattheywillmeet India’s top-ranked doubles player Rohan Bopanna and local boy Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan.
“Wegetthesamepointsifwebeatthemor anyone else. But at the same time it’s great to be playing these stalwarts in India,” he adds.
Should they add a Bopanna scalp to their list, they will give India something new to look forward to in the doubles game.