Bhubaneswar: Shilpi Swarupa Das and Anaam Almas of Orissa finished runners-up Saturday after losing 4-6, 4-6 to Medhavi Singh and Aditi Shreya in the women’s doubles final of the AITA 50K Men’s and Women’s Tennis Championship at Patliputra tennis centre in Patna. In the semifinals, they had defeated Komal Nagare and Mariyam Khan 6-3, 6-3 to book their berths in the summit clash.
Both Shilpi and Anaam looked upset after the match and blamed it on the lack of facilities. “Last year in December four courts at Kalinga Stadium tennis complex were closed for upgradation. It’s been close to 12 months now and still the job, hasn’t been completed,” Shilpi said in a statement.
They also informed that five of the seven remaining courts are always reserved for VIPs and hence the regulars who want to pursue a career in tennis fail to train properly.
“As professional players we need at least seven to eight hours of training every day. If we had got more time to practice we would have won the match today (Saturday),” Anaam lamented.
They also stated that if things go on like this it will be tough for them to prepare for their upcoming tournaments. “We have been reminding the Orissa State Tennis Association regarding our problems for the past one year, but nothing has been sorted out,” Shilpi said.
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