ITF $25K: Wildcard Bhamidipaty advances into second round
Indian took an hour and 21 minutes to win her match against Evgeniya Burdina of Russia.
puneltters@htlive.com
PUNE Shrivalli Rashmikaa Bhamidipaty held her nerve to enter the second round of the ITF $25,000 women’s tennis tournament, defeating Evgeniya Burdina of Russia at the Deccan Gymkhana on Tuesday.
Wildcard Bhamidipaty took an hour and 21 minutes to win her match.
“It was a good match, though I faltered towards the finish. This is the first time I have won the first round of any $25k tournament happening in India. Last week I lost in the first round in Solapur,” said Bhamidipaty.
In the first set of the match, Bhamidipati broke Burdina twice – in the second and eighth game - to take 4-1 lead. However, Burdina broke back to level, but Bhamidipati stood strong to take the set.
In the second set, Burdina was broken twice in the first and seventh game, she came back, breaking Bhamidipati in the eighth game. However at 5-4, Bhamidipati kept her calm to serve out the match 6-4, 6-4.
“My best $25k performance was in Portugal, where I reached the prequarters. I played against Maria Osaka (Naomi Osaka’s sister). I played a great match and went all out as I had nothing to lose,” added Bhamidipati who trains with Sajid Lodhi in Indore.
In other matches qualifier, Punnin Kovapitukted of Thailand upset third seeded Kyoka Okamura from Japan 7-5, 6-1, while Shalimar Talbi from Belarus upset seventh seeded Despina Papamichail of Greece 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 to advance into the tournament.
Results: (First round)
Risa Ushijima (Jpn) bt Yashina Ekaterina (Rus) 6-4, 7-5; 4-Ulrikke Eikeri (Nor) bt wc-Sharannya Gaware (Ind) 6-1, 6-0; q-Punnin Kovapitukted (Tha) bt 3-Kyoka Okamura (Jpn) 7-5, 6-1; q-Emma Raducanu (Gbr) bt Valeriya Strakhova (Ukr) 6-0, 6-0; q-Olga Doroshina (Rus) bt Berfu Cengiz (Tur) 7-6 (7-5), 6-4; Shalimar Talbi (Blr) bt 7-Despina Papamichail (GRE) 6-4, 3-6, 6-1; 6-Diana Marcinkevica (Lat) bt Anna Morgina (Rus)6-2, 6-3; wc-Shrivalli Rashmikaa Bhamidipaty (Ind) bt Evgeniya Burdina (Rus) 6-4, 6-4.
Doubles: Kyoka Okamura (Jpn) and Sato Naho (Jpn) bt 1-Freya Christei (GBR) and Valeria Savinykh (RUS) 6-0, 1-6, 10-7; Mishina, Daria (Rus) and Anna Morgina (Rus) bt Choi, Ji Hee (Kor) and Jeong, Sunam (Kor) 7-6 (9-7), 6-2; Luangnam, Nudnida (Tha) and Risa Ushijima (Jpn) bt wc-Arthi Muniyan(Ind) and Avika Sagwal (Ind) 6-4, 6-2.