This 14-year old goes by the book

Parveen Shivekar reads her opponents like a book, quite literally. For most people, good quality racquets, shoes and sporting gear are a must, but for the 14-year-old, a small black diary is what she needs the most. So what's so special about this diary? "I analyse the game of my upcoming opponents and jot down their strengths and weaknesses," said Parveen. She surely must be knowing what she's doing for the unseeded Parveen sent first seed Preethi Ujjini packing 6-1 4-6 6-1 to reach the semifinals of the All India Womens Open Tennis Tournament held at the Khar Gymkhana on Friday.

The order in which she takes down notes highly commendable. She starts with her own strengths, her secondary strengths and then shifts the focus to her opponent. Bullet points become paragraphs under the 'my strategy' and mental profile section. "It's now become a habit so there's no question of me being too theoretical. What's more important is what I write about the game once it's over as I know where I went wrong and can correct it later."

Parveen's attention to detail has been instilled in her by her psychological coach, right from the time she took the game as an eight-year-old.

How did she prepare for her game against the top seed? "I saw Preethi play yesterday and I got to work (jotting down notes). She wasn't that aggressive, always played from the baseline and so I planned my strategy accordingly."

Another advantage Parveen had over her opponents was home support. The standard nine student of Girton High School, Tardeo spends five days a week practising at the Khar Gymkhana. "I was really excited to play here. Right from the ball boys to the score men, I know everyone by name. Such small things count," she said.

The Tardeo resident faces Himani Mor for a place in the final. When asked about her preparation for the game on Saturday, "You'll be surprised at how well I've done my 'homework,'" Parveen said with a chuckle.

Results: P Shivekar bt P Ujjini 6-1 4-6 6-1; H Mor bt N Kaul 6-0 6-4; T Palanvale bt N Amin 6-3 7-5; J Patel bt A Nandakumar 4-6 6-2 6-4