"Ey to puro Sehwag, guru [She is just like Sehwag, boss]," a journalist friend quipped after Sania Mirza served her first double fault, 4-0 up in the first set against Hungarian Melina Czink.
And yes, Sania's game swung from stupendous to silly, just like the Najafgarh's master blaster's batting.
Coach John Farrington made a nicer metaphor on Tuesday: "peaks and valleys".
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"I was really up and down. She [Czink] obviously played better," Sania admitted at the post-match press conference.
Ten double faults -- the one reason she crashed out of the Sunfeast Open on Wednesday evening? The world number 34 admitted, yes.
"The serve made the difference. I got on the defensive because of the serves [going wrong]."
The 18-year-old's aggression, which coach John Farrington thinks is the key to her success, was, however, intact.
"I think I have said it enough times now. Yes, I am working on it [the service]. But it's going to take time. Things can't happen overnight. I need to stop, take a couple of months. I wish there was a magic wand, but that's just the way it is."
How does it feel to lose to someone who's about 80 notches below her in the rankings?
"I've always said ranking is just a number. She played a good match. It was her day to win."
What after the Sunfeast Open? "I'll go home for a few days, then to Tokyo and Bangkok," the tennis ace replied.
She, however, is still in the fray in the doubles at the Sunfeast Open, partnering world no. 1 doubles player Virginia Ruano Pascual of Spain.
Sania said the crowd was great, as usual. "From 4-1 to 4-4 [in the third set] the crowd pulled me."
"I know there are a lot of disappointed people. But that's just the way sport is. Sometimes we need to enjoy our defeats as well."
But there was a note that struck through "the just another match" defence: "It was close. And that's what hurts more."
