So, she decided to give up table tennis and take up lawn tennis. Eight years later, the 17-year-old has ITF under-18 and senior titles, within the space of two months, and hopes of playing a Grand Slam.

After her uncle Ajay Tulpule, a former TT player of repute, had done enough to introduce the little Radhika to the game, he could not keep her to the sport. Not that he would complain now, as Radhika looks set to make her mark on the courts.

She won two gold medals in the Imphal National Games, in the team event with Sonal Phadke and Janaki Krishnamoorthy, and in the doubles with Janaki. That was preceded by an under-18 ITF title at Chandigarh in February and an appearance in the final of the Mumbai Hardcourt at Shivaji Park in May '98 where she lost in the final to Uzma Khan Radhika's first senior tournament.

Before that, there have been two under-14 and under-16 National titles each anda second spot in the under-18 at Chennai last year losing again to Uzma. ``She (Uzma) is probably the most difficult to play,'' said Radhika, after her title-win in the first leg of the ITF Women's Circuit at the G A Ranade Tennis Centre on Saturday.

Trained under former Davis Cupper Nandan Bal and M Balachandran at the Deccan Club in Pune, Radhika feels she needs to tune up a few things in her game. ``I have to work on my serve and my fitness.''

She served well in the ITF Women's Circuit first leg, by her own admission, even if she put in a few double faults at crucial junctures. If the semi-final was plagued by six double faults, there were an improved number of two in the final against J Sai Jayalakshmy. But not only did she beat the top seed, but she went through the week without dropping a set.

``She is steady...puts everything back,'' said Jayalakshmy, after Radhika shocked her in the final.

The win, if anything, has given the Puneite the confidence to aim for Grand Slams. Wimbledon,apparently, is going to conduct qualifying rounds for juniors, giving people like Radhika hope. ``I just want to get into the main draw,'' she said, still struggling to come to terms with her success here.

But the immediate future, after the two remaining legs in Bangalore, New Delhi and the Masters at Lucknow, is uncertain. ``I have to plan that,'' she muttered.

With her 12th standard exams over, the commerce student has also managed to put behind the back injury that kept her out for sometime last year. From now on, it is going to be just the way she likes -- all play and no work.