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Tanvi picked the dip somehow as Isharani sprung forward and sent a high hairpin tumble that dangled like a lollipop — the easiest putaways, if only Isharani had thought it through quickly. But of all the places on the court the young shuttler could’ve sent it back to, she chose to offer it on a platter to Tanvi’s racquet. The World No 21 didn’t miss a beat, and pushed it to the midcourt.

Isharani was stunned from being passed like that and gave Tanvi the next 4 points easily. But it was emblematic of why the 22-year-old is stranded between World Rank 40 and 39 for six months, and unable to move up. The net-game is stuck, and refuses to buffer.

A 21-12, 21-12 loss to her compatriot was yet another instance of how the game has promise but can’t show up consistently, because of lacunae in her court craft. Isharani, on the face of it, has everything: a good power attack with a jump smashes, though the placement isn’t always particularly thought out. She has speed, defensive rigour, some very good drops that caught Tanvi on her lunge. But she often appears confused about shot selection or rally construction. And at the net, she’s a deer in headlights.

The net is where India’s womens singles needs maximum upgrades, because there’s both technical-tactical and psychological aspects to it. Both Unnati Hooda and Tanvi Sharma have gotten stronger at the net – Tanvi far more a natural – and can hold their own on the front court, though they are nowhere close to the variations and flat game they can deploy as a holding weapon in the rally.

Isharani had twice beaten Tanvi before (H2H 2-1 now), once at the Telangana International when she was on the uptick and the opponent still 15, and then last year. But while Tanvi’s game was getting better progressively, Isharani seems to have plateaued. Her front court game is letting her down,and the rankings — Tanvi at World No 21 and Isharani at No 39 accurately depicts the turning of tables.