Tumakuru, May 3: India’s Shreeniti Chowdhury delivered a standout performance on the opening day of the women’s singles qualifying at the ITF W35 tournament in Tumakuru, staging a determined comeback to move into the next round on Sunday.
Up against 14th seed Nemha Sarah Kispotta, Shreeniti from Karnataka endured a slow start, conceding the first set 4-6. However, she showed impressive resilience in the second, holding her nerve in key moments to clinch it 7-5 and force a match tie-break. Carrying the momentum forward, Shreeniti played with greater freedom and control in the decider, sealing a well-earned 10-6 victory to complete a gritty turnaround.
Another closely contested encounter saw Snigdha Kanta edge past 13th seed Parthsarthi Arun Mundhe in a hard-fought three-set battle. Snigdha took the opening set 6-3, but Parthsarthi responded strongly to level the match with a 6-3 second set. In the match tie-break, Snigdha also from Karnataka held her composure during the crucial stages, pulling away to secure a 10-7 win and book her place in the next round.
Elsewhere, Aakruti Sonkusare Narayan defeated Diva Bhatia 7-6(7), 6-4, while Lakshmi Gowda overcame 10th seed Komal Nagare 6-1, 6-2. Jeetesh Kumari, seeded 15th, rallied past Vidhi Jani 6-7(7), 6-3, 10-6. Wins were also recorded by 12th seed Aishwarya Jadhav, 9th seed Danica Fernando, and 16th seed Saily Prashantkumar Thakkar.
The second round of qualifying will be held on Monday, with players vying for 8 spots in the main draw of the tournament.
Qualifying results
Women’s Singles (qualifying round-1) (pre-fix denoted seeding)
11-Aakruti Sonkusare Narayan (Ind) bt Diva Bhatia (Ind) 7-6 (7), 6-4; Shreeniti Chowdhury (Ind) bt 14-Nemha Sarah Kispotta (Ind) 4-6, 7-5, 10-6; Lakshmi Gowda (Ind) bt 10-Komal Nagare (Ind) 6-1, 6-2; 15-Jeetesh Kumari (Ind) bt Vidhi Jani (Ind) 6-7 (7), 6-3, 10-6; Snigdha Kanta (Ind) bt 13-Parthsarthi Arun Mundhe (Ind) 6-3, 3-6, 10-7; 12-Aishwarya Jadhav (Ind) bt Meghana G D (Ind) 6-4, 6-3; 9-Danica Fernando (Ind) bt Thaniya Sarai Gogulamanda (Ind) 6-1, 6-1; 16-Saily Prashantkumar Thakkar (Ind) bt Hridayeshi Pai (Ind) 6-1, 6-3.
