Kalaburagi (Karnataka) [India] March 4 : Indian stars Ankita Raina and Zeel Desai advanced to the second round of the ITF W35 Kalaburagi on Wednesday with confident opening-round victories, while Karnataka's Soha Sadiq showed early promise before bowing out after a dramatic shift in momentum at the Chandrashekhar Patil Stadium in Kalaburagi.
Eighth seed Ankita Raina produced a composed performance to defeat fellow Indian Sonal Patil 6-1, 6-3. Patil began by holding serve in the opening game, but Raina quickly took control, winning the next six games to seal the first set in commanding fashion, according to a release.
The second set followed a similar pattern early on, with Raina racing to a 3-0 lead. Patil responded with determination, holding serve twice in succession to stay within striking distance. Even after Raina moved to 5-2 and looked set to close out the match comfortably, Patil battled back to make it 5-3. Raina, however, maintained her composure in the following game, finishing the match with authority to book her place in the next round.
Fifth seed Zeel Desai also progressed after a strong showing against fellow Indian Jennifer Luikham. Desai claimed the opening set 6-2 with steady baseline play and continued to dictate the rallies in the second set. Mixing delicate drop shots with powerful groundstrokes, she took a 2-1 lead before eventually closing out the match to secure her place in the second round.
Earlier in the day, Karnataka's Soha Sadiq delighted the home crowd with a blistering start against Singapore's Eva Marie Desvignes, surging to a 4-0 lead in the opening set. However, the tide turned dramatically as Desvignes clawed her way back into the contest, eventually winning 7-5, 6-0 to end Sadiq's campaign despite the youngster's promising start.
There was disappointment for another Indian contender as Shrivalli Bhamidipaty was forced to retire from her match against Elena Burdina due to a medical condition.
Top seed Jasmijn Gimbrere progressed comfortably with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Aishwarya Jadhav, while sixth seed Thasaporn Naklo also advanced with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Valeria Savinykh. Elsewhere, Polina Kuharenko defeated Akanksha Dileep Nitture 6-2, 6-1, Anna Sedyasheva beat Sandeepthi Singh Rao 6-2, 6-4 and Elina Nepliy overcame Kashish Bhatia 6-0, 6-4.
In the doubles draw, India's Sravya Shivani Chilakalapudi partnered Japan's Michika Ozeki to secure a convincing 6-2, 6-3 victory over the pair of Maayan Laron and Maria Mikhailova to move into the quarterfinals. Third seeds Zeel Desai and Elina Nepliy also advanced with a solid 6-3, 6-4 win against Anna Sedyasheva and Sofia Suslova.
With two more Indians joining Vaishnavi Adkar in the second round, the competition in the ITF W35 Kalaburagi is set to intensify.
Results:
Singles First Round:
8-Ankita Raina (IND) bt Sonal Patil (IND) 6-1, 6-3; 5-Zeel Desai (IND) bt Jennifer Luikham (IND) 6-2, 6-4; 1-Jasmijn Gimbrere (NED) bt Aishwarya Jadhav (IND) 6-2, 6-1; 6-Thasaporn Naklo (THA) bt Valeria Savinykh 6-3, 6-2; Polina Kuharenko bt Akanksha Dileep Nitture (IND) 6-2, 6-1; Anna Sedyasheva bt Sandeepthi Singh Rao (IND) 6-2, 6-4; Eva Marie Desvignes (SGP) bt Soha Sadiq (IND) 7-5, 6-0; Elina Nepliy bt Kashish Bhatia (IND) 6-0, 6-4; Evgeniya Burdina bt 4-Shrivalli Rashmikaa Bhamidipaty (IND) 5-1 (ret.)
Doubles First Round:
Sravya Shivani Chilakalapudi (IND) / Michika Ozeki (JPN) bt Maayan Laron (ISR) / Maria Mikhailova 6-2, 6-3;3- Zeel Desai (IND) / Elina Nepliy bt Anna Sedyasheva / Sofia Suslova 6-3, 6-4.
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