E-Paper
Top seed Brenda Fruhvirtova lifts ITF Women’s Open, defeats India’s Ankita Raina
Cutting back to the match, the proceedings had a different beginning to it as Fruhvirtova, a World No. 163 from Czech Republic, did not look sharp in the first set against Raina, the fourth seed.
Top-seed Brenda Fruhvirtova gave an impressive demonstration of her fighting skills while beating India’s Ankita Raina 0-6, 6-4, 6-0 to clinch the KPB Trust ITF Women’s Open singles title at the KSLTA Stadium on Sunday.
The $40k tournament was part of the ITF Women's World Tennis Tour, hosted by the Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association (KSLTA).
KP Balaraj, the founder of KPB Family Trust, Sunil Yajaman, Joint Secretary of KSLTA, and Shruthi Iyer, Mrs India Universe 2021, attended the prize distribution function.
Cutting back to the match, the proceedings had a different beginning to it as Fruhvirtova, a World No. 163 from Czech Republic, did not look sharp in the first set against Raina, the fourth seed.
Fruhvirtova served 4 double faults and committed several unforced errors as Raina never gave her any footing. The Indian grabbed the first set 6-0, converting all the 3 breakpoints.
The second set began in the same manner with Raina building a 3-0 lead and a quick end to the match loomed. But a break in the fifth game proved to be the turning point in the match as Fruhvirtova soon levelled the scores at 3-3 and then she converted a break point in the 9th game to take a 5-4 lead.
The Czech girl served out the game and took the match into the deciding third set. Raina looked shaken after the loss of the second set and was hardly in the picture in the third set.
There was a chance for Raina to effect a break in the fourth game but Fruhvirtova raised her game just in time to hold the serve. Fruhvirtova ended the match with a crushing forehand after two hours and 19 minutes of intense battle.
“I didn’t feel good in anything in the first set and it was like I was fighting with myself. I had to shut out the opening set because she was playing well at that point. But once I won the second set, things became easier from there,” said Fruhvirtova after the win.
