Sample these:

* Probably none of the seven teams playing the East-North Zone Inter University Women Tennis Tournament have a full-time professional tennis coach.

* Many of the tennis players especially, those representing Rohilkhand University, Bareilly or Kurukshetra University, Haryana are shuttlers or athletes and took to tennis only recently.

* The losers of two of the three ties on Thursday failed even to win a single game.

A total of eight teams were slated to play the tourney, which is one of the two qualification conduits for All India University Tournament to be held at Mangalore University from January 11.

“Women tennis is definitely not a serious affair in any of the universities, if this is the state of things,” said Vijay Pathak, chief coach of Uttar Pradesh Tennis Association (UPTA) who is presently officiating the tournament.

“Is this tennis. I do not think so,” he quipped.

Eight teams were scheduled to take to the three-day tourney which began at clay courts of Amphitheatre Ground in BHU on Thursday. But two of the teams, Allahabad University and Sidho Kano Murmu (SKM) University, Dumka did not turn up due to which hosts BHU progressed into the semi-finals.

Allahabad University’s place was taken by Veer Bahadur Singh Purvanchal University (VBSPU) which knocked out one of the three favourites Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU) Amritsar 3-0 in the last match of the day. Similar scoreline was witnessed in two other matches, where Punjabi University, Patiala walloped Rohilkhand University, Bareilly and favourites Delhi University tamed Kurukshetra University, Haryana.

While GNDU gave a tough fight to VBSPU, the other two losers, Rohilkhand and Kurukshetra could not even win a single game.

“We are more athletes and less tennis players and hence should not be expected to throw surprises,” said Reena Singh, a Bareilly University player.

Similar sentiments were expressed by players from Haryana, including Mohini and Suman, who like other three players of the squad are badminton players.

Even their manager is not a tennis expert, but like BHU coach is a swimming specialist. “We are here to participate and not win,” coach-cum-manager Pravin Singh maintained.

Two of the key players of the tourney, Delhi University’s Parul Goswami (AITA 8th rank) and Shalini Sahoo (also an AITA ranked player), who made a ‘mockery’ of the challenge of Haryana players said, “we never expect any challenge from these players. We are professionals who are only playing for varsity’s pride and not for money,” said the two tennis players flanked by manager Anjum Padiyal, herself an aerobic instructor at Deshbandhu College, New Delhi.

But nearly all the visiting teams, barring VBSPU, who comprise local players were unhappy with arrangements at BHU.

While the DU team is staying at their own expense at Faculty Guest House in BHU, the other teams, including Bareilly University, Kurukshetra University and Punjabi University have either to stay at an old house on the BHU campus or else spend their time after the courts at the Amphitheatre stadia only.

“We have not even been given any fooding arrangements and are forced to go outside the campus for lunch and dinner,” the visitors complained.