The first round of the ITF W15 Gurugram at The Tennis Project has concluded, with eight Indian players advancing to the Round of 16, including several who emerged from the qualifying rounds. Under the directorship of Indian BJK Cup captain Vishal Uppal, this week’s event continues to serve as a crucial stepping stone for emerging Indian talent. Last week’s tournament at the same venue, which featured all-Indian finals in both singles and doubles, has set an encouraging tone for another week of competitive tennis. That momentum has carried forward this week, with some compelling first-round action.
In a day full of impressive wins, two significant upsets highlighted the opening round. Unranked Indian wildcard Sahira Singh took down 6th seed Paola Lopez (ranked #982) with a decisive 6-0, 4-6, 6-1 victory, showcasing a level of play far beyond her current ranking.
Similarly, unranked qualifier Laxmisiri Dandu continued her hot streak from the qualifying rounds, overpowering her compatriot Laalitya Kalluri (#1209) 6-0, 6-1.
The success wasn’t limited to upsets. Top seed Zeel Desai started her campaign with a solid 6-3, 6-0 win against Indian qualifier Sohini Sanjay Mohanty, while second seed Akanksha Dileep Nitture also advanced with a commanding 6-1, 6-0 victory over qualifier Aahan. The all-Indian R1 matches also saw Sonal Patil defeat Bela Tamhankar 2-6, 6-0, 6-4, and Prathyusha Rachapudi beat wildcard Aditi Rawat 6-4, 6-3. Paavanii Paathak secured her spot in the next round with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Pooja Ingale, and qualifier Mahika Khanna overcame fellow qualifier Abhaya Vemuri 7-6(4), 6-3.
Qualifying Rounds Recap
The foundation for this impressive main draw showing was laid in the qualifying rounds, where eight Indian players successfully fought their way through to the main draw. The final qualifying round results were:
- Bela Tamhankar def. Mirudhula Palanivel 6-1, 0-6, [10-6]
- Laxmisiri Dandu def. Aakruti Sonkusare 7-6(3), 6-1
- Saumya Ronde def. Sandeepti Singh Rao (WC) 6-4, 4-2 (ret.)
- Sohini Sanjay Mohanty def. Joell Nichole 6-3, 6-4
- Janani Ramesh def. Jennifer Luikham 2-6, 6-4, [10-5]
- Mahika Khanna (WC) def. Chandana Potugari 6-3, 6-3
- Abhaya Vemuri def. Amodini Naik 7-5, 7-6(5)
- Aahan def. Chevika Reddy Sama 6-0, 6-0
Round 1 Results Summary
The following are the full results from the first round of the ITF W15 Gurugram, which saw the successful progression of eight Indian players:
- Zeel Desai [1] (IND) def. Sohini Sanjay Mohanty (Q) (IND) 6-3, 6-0
- Sonal Patil (IND) def. Bela Tamhankar (Q) (IND) 2-6, 6-0, 6-4
- Sahira Singh (WC) (IND) def. Paola Lopez [6] (USA) 6-0, 4-6, 6-1
- Laxmisiri Dandu (Q) (IND) def. Laalitya Kalluri (IND) 6-0, 6-1
- Mahika Khanna (Q) (IND) def. Abhaya Vemuri (Q) (IND) 7-6(4), 6-3
- Akanksha Dileep Nitture [2] (IND) def. Aahan Aahan (Q) (IND) 6-1, 6-0
- Prathyusha Rachapudi (IND) def. Aditi Rawat (WC) (IND) 6-4, 6-3
- Paavanii Paathak (IND) def. POOJA INGALE (IND) 6-2, 6-3
- Eva Marie Desvignes (SGP) def. Saumya Vig [7] (IND) 6-3, 6-0
- Vlada Mincheva [5] (BUL) def. Janani Ramesh (Q) (IND) 6-0, 6-2
- Jiho Shin (KOR) def. Harshini N Nagaraj (WC) (IND) 6-3, 6-3
- Arina Arifullina [4] (RUS) def. Soha Sadiq (IND) 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(5)
- Shihomi Li Xuan Leong (MAS) def. Aarnavi Tomar Aura (WC) (IND) 6-0, 6-0
- Maria Mikhailova (RUS) def. Saumya Ronde (Q) (IND) 6-1, 6-4
- Carolann Delaunay [8] (CAL) def. Shruti Ahlawat (SE) (IND) 1-0 (ret.)
- Sofia Suslova (UKR) def. Elena Jamshidi [3] (DEN) 6-2, 6-4