INDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA (The Thursday Times) — Elina Svitolina itwaar ko WTA Finals ke title ke liye Mirra Andreeva ka muqabla karengi. Haftay ko unhon ne Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova ko sirf 64 minute mein 6-2, 6-1 se yakterfa shikast di, jabke aik hafta pehle group ke pehle match mein Andreeva ne unhein haraya tha.
2018 mein season ke ikhtitami tournament ki faateh Ukrainian khilari ne pehle set mein Noskova ki service teen baar todi aur doosre set mein 5-0 ki bartari haasil kar li. Czech khilari ne 11 double fault kiye. Yeh Svitolina ka teen shirkaton mein teesra WTA Finals final hai.
32 saala khilari ne kaha, “Pehla match haarne ke baad main ghar jaane ko tayyar thi, aur ab main final mein hoon.” Group marhalay mein Andreeva ne unhein 6-4, 6-0 se haraya tha, aur Svitolina ne kaha ke woh apne coaches ke saath mil kar is baar “kuch zyada games” jeetne par kaam karengi.
Svitolina woh pehla match haarin, phir agle teenon match jeete, jin mein Jumay ko Aryna Sabalenka ke khilaf teen set ki fatah bhi shaamil hai jis se Belarusian khilari ke khilaf un ki musalsal chhe shikaston ka silsila toota. Is saal woh top ten khilariyon ke khilaf 11 fatoohaat haasil kar chuki hain, jo tour par kisi bhi khilari se zyada hain, aur 2022 mein zachgi ki chhutti lene ke baad woh October 2021 ke baad pehli baar top ten mein wapas aayi hain.
Andreeva ne ab tak aik bhi set nahin haara
French Open ki 19 saala champion Andreeva ne pehle semi-final mein dono sets mein break ke khasaaray se wapsi karte hue Jessica Pegula ko 6-3, 6-4 se haraya. Pooray hafte mein unhon ne aik bhi set nahin haara aur chaar matches mein sirf 18 games ganwaye, jo 2003 mein round-robin format apnaye jaane ke baad kisi bhi finalist ke sab se kam hain.
Russian khilari 2004 mein 17 saal ki umar mein title jeetne wali Maria Sharapova ke baad final tak pohanchne wali sab se kam umar khilari hain, aur itwaar ka nateeja kuch bhi ho, peer ko woh aalmi number do ban jayengi. Unhon ne kaha, “Aaj mujhe zara bhi dabao mehsoos nahin hua, pata nahin kyun.”
Sabalenka ki maazrat
Sabalenka ne haftay ko us waqt maazrat ki jab Jumay ko Svitolina ke haathon shikast ke dauran Russian zubaan mein gaali dete hue un ka aik clip social media par phail gaya, aur kuch logon ne usay harif khilari ya Ukrainiyon ki tauheen samjha.
Unhon ne likha, “Mera tabsira Elina ke liye nahin tha.” Un ka kehna tha ke woh tamashaiyon ke aik chhotay group par ghussa kho baithin jo un ki ghaltiyon par taaliyan baja raha tha. “Mujhe apni jhunjhlahat ko mukhtalif andaaz mein sambhalna chahiye tha, aur jis kisi ko bura laga main us se maazrat chahti hoon.”
Jang ki wajah se Ukrainian khilari Russian ya Belarusian harifon se haath nahin milatay aur na hi match se pehle un ke saath tasveer banwatay hain, aur itwaar ko Svitolina aur Andreeva ke muqablay mein bhi yahi policy laagu hogi.
Is hafte ke aaghaz mein: Svitolina ne Sabalenka ko WTA Finals se bahar kar ke semi-final mein jagah bana li, aur Andreeva ne musalsal 11 games jeet kar Sabalenka ko hara diya.
