Mumbai, Feb 3 Second seed Rebecca Marino of Canada cruised to the Round of 16, India’s Sahaja Yamalapalli fell short against Lanlana Tararudee while Mananchaya Sawangkaew and Aleksandra Krunic impressed on Day Three of the Mumbai Open WTA 125 Series event which saw plenty of thrills and spills at the Cricket Club of India here on Monday.
Marino delivered a commanding performance, defeating the Czech Republic’s Sara Bejlek emphatically, 6-0, 6-2. With her powerful groundstrokes and dominant serve, Marino eased into the Round of 16, reaffirming her credentials as a title contender.
In another Round of 32 encounter, Thailand’s Mananchaya Sawangkaew put on a clinical display to dispatch Slovenia’s Dalila Jakupovic 6-3, 6-1. Sawangkaew’s aggressive play and tactical precision left Jakupovic struggling to find a foothold in the match.
Serbia’s Aleksandra Krunic also impressed, using her experience to outplay Croatia’s Petra Marcinko 6-4, 6-2. Krunic’s consistency and well-executed shot selection secured her a decisive victory.
India’s Sahaja Yamalapalli, however, was unable to keep home hopes alive, bowing out to Thailand’s Lanlana Tararudee. Despite a valiant fightback in the second set, Yamalapalli ultimately fell short, losing 6-3, 4-6, 6-1.
Earlier, India's 15-year-old Maaya Rajeshwaran scripted another sensational win at the Mumbai Open, prevailing against Jessica Failla, winning 7-6, 1-6, 6-4 in a nail-biting encounter to seal her place in the main draw. Maaya Rajeshwaran registered her second win of the tournament, having defeated World No. 265 Nicole Fossa Huergo in the previous round. She will now be part of the main draw and will be up against Yuriko Lily Miyazaki of Great Britain.
The 15-year-old prodigy also shed some light on the kind of support she has received in her journey, especially from her parents. She mentioned, “One thing that I'm really happy about is that my dad doesn't trouble with me often, because I don't play tournaments in India, but when I travel in India, he comes. I'm very happy when he travels because if he's there, I really have my head down and focus. He helps me remain calm, so even if I’m playing a very tough match, he'll be there to support me. I feel like almost 100% of my pressure goes to him at that point, so I'll be at ease.”
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