Stay calm and face the storm. If possible, be the storm for your rival!
That has been the guiding principle for Sahaja Yamalapalli who stunned the top seed Kayla Day in the first round of the WTA tennis tournament in Mumbai.
Two weeks of training and interaction with Ashley Hobson during her last stint of tournaments in the USA had made the 22-year-old Sahaja see her tennis in a different perspective. More importantly, she understood the meaning of staying in the moment, being aware of what was happening on court, thinking and playing smart, depending on the demands of the situation. She has learnt to enjoy the challenge thrown at her by every opponent and find her way.
ALSO READ: Mumbai Open | It’s Sahaja’s Day as she knocks out top seed Kayla Day
Sahaja had beaten the 158th-ranked Ekaterina Makarova in winning her last title, the $25,000 event in Solapur. However, after that she won one match in four tournaments in Navi Mumbai, Bengaluru, Pune and Indore.
Luckily, she not only got the wild card for the WTA event, but also had a long-time coach at the PBI in Bengaluru, Rituplawan Gogoi to travel for the event in Mumbai.
“He came to help me to get back my confidence and do some tweaks in my game because I was travelling without a coach for several weeks leading to Mumbai”, said Sahaja, Understandably delighted to be able to play her best when facing her first top-100 opponent, Sahaja put things in perspective, expressing her gratitude.
Very high level
“I was happy and grateful to get this opportunity to play on the big stage. The level is very high. To be around these players, training with them, you get the confidence and belief that you belong here, I was telling myself that I can do this even though Kayla was first seed and top-100,” said Sahaja.
To perform well one needs conviction in one’s ability. “I just wanted to give everything out there and see what happens. In the end, when I got the match-points, I was shaking. Oh My God, am winning this! Am really glad that I was able to pull it off. It is a big win for me at this point of my career. This win is motivating. It pushes me to do better, train harder in practice. Go out there and get more wins,” said Sahaja.
For many, the high quality of tennis that Sahaja sustained for more than two hours and 30 minutes may have been a surprise, but Sahaja knew what she was capable of executing on the court.
“I know I can produce this quality of play. It is all mental. I was preparing myself, I can do this. Earlier when I was this close against a top-200 player, I did not come out on the winning side. At that time, I was a bit less confident. I wasn’t sure that I could win that. This time all that experience helped me. I have the confidence to beat anyone,” said Sahaja.
THE GIST
Quite remarkably, Sahaja tightened her game and built on her strengths to be able to match a top pro in her craft.
Augmenting fitness
“I have fitness and physical strength built over the years. My forehand has been my biggest strength in my game. Lately, I have been working a lot on the serve. I have big groundstrokes. My serve was only very decent. So I worked on it last couple of weeks. Today, I was able to serve better than what I had in my earlier matches,” said Sahaja.
To play great through the match is one thing, and to handle the climax well is really something.
“I did not play the second set well, made many unforced errors. She was solid. I was not hitting the ball well like I did in the first set. I was not able to control the points. I told myself that this had to stop. I can’t let her dominate. Third set, I tried to go for it. Hit the balls I had to and not hold back. If I make it, I win, if I don’t, it is ok. That match was on my racquet,” recalled Sahaja.
Overcoming nerves
Missing two match-points, Sahaja overcame the nerves and could think clearly. “Anyone at that point would feel those nerves. At deuce, I said, I had to go for it. I was kind of holding back, hoping for her to miss. It was not going to happen at this level. I had to take charge and create my opportunity. I was just going for it in the end,” said Sahaja.
Anyone may be disheartened to face the top seed in the first round of a big event. But, Sahaja had waited for long to play Day.
“I had seen Kayla (Day), especially when I was in USA. I had watched a lot of her matches. I have been wanting to play her. I was kind of happy that I drew her. I wanted to see where I stand in terms of game level. I was thinking that this match would all come down to whether I make my shots or not. I had to stay in, step in, and hit those balls,” said Sahaja.
Sahaja said she would continue to have fun on court and enjoy the challenge every opponent poses so as to achieve her goal for the season of getting into the qualifying events of the Grand Slams.
For sure, Sahaja and company promise exciting times ahead for Indian women’s tennis.
