Tumakuru, May 7: The stage is set for an exciting finish at the Tumakuru Open ITF W35 as all the top seeds stormed into the singles quarterfinals after a gripping day of action at the Tumakuru District Tennis Courts on Thursday.
Top seed Justina Mikulskyte survived a dramatic start against Poland’s Zuzanna Kolonus before bouncing back strongly to register a 0-6, 6-3, 6-1 victory. The Lithuanian, one of the tournament favourites, recovered impressively after being bageled in the opening set and now looks firmly back on track heading into the business end of the tournament.
Second seed Zuzanna Pawlikowska too continued her steady run with a straight-sets win over India’s Sonal Patil, while third seed Vaidehee Chaudhari and fourth seed Zeel Desai ensured strong Indian representation in the last eight with commanding victories.
Vaidehee looked in complete control during her 6-2, 6-2 win over compatriot Madhurima Sawant, displaying aggressive baseline play and consistency throughout the contest. Zeel, meanwhile, produced one of her cleanest performances of the week to outplay Jennifer Luikham 6-2, 6-3.
Fourth seed Zeel Desai showed admirable composure to recover from a slow start and defeat compatriot Jennifer Luikham 6-2, 6-3 to storm into the quarterfinals. Trailing 0-2 in the opening set, the India Billie Jean King Cup team member quickly regained control with her aggressive baseline play and superior consistency, reeling off games in succession to turn the match around decisively. A former junior Grand Slam representative for India, Zeel has steadily built her reputation on the professional circuit and once again demonstrated the experience and maturity that make her one of the country’s leading players.
Among the other notable results, Russia’s Ksenia Laskutova overcame India’s Sandeepti Singh Rao in a hard-fought encounter lasting over two hours, while sixth seed Ekaterina Yashina advanced after India’s Kashish Bhatia retired with a right shoulder injury.
With all the top five seeds now safely through to the quarterfinals alongside in-form unseeded players, the tournament appears headed for a thrilling finish over the weekend, with several high-quality matchups on the cards.
In doubles, Indian duo Sravya Shivani Chilakalapudi and Zeel Desai advanced to the semifinals with a straight-sets victory over the Indian combination of Laxmisiri Dandu and Chevika Reddy Sama.
The Indo-Japanese pair of Akanksha Dileep Nitture and Michika Ozeki fought back brilliantly after losing the first set to overcome India’s Diva Bhatia and Jennifer Luikham in a tense match tiebreak.
Top seeds Vaidehee Chaudhari and Zuzanna Pawlikowska also entered the semifinals with a convincing win over the Indian pair of Soha Sadiq and Madhurima Sawant, while Ksenia Laskutova and Elina Nepliy completed the semifinal lineup with a comfortable victory over India’s Aishwarya Jadhav and Aakruti Narayan Sonkusare.
Results (Prefix denotes seeding)
Women’s Singles (Pre-quarterfinals)
Ksenia Laskutova bt Sandeepti Singh Rao (IND) 6-4, 6-2;
4-Zeel Desai (IND) bt Jennifer Luikham (IND) 6-2, 6-3;
6-Ekaterina Yashina bt Kashish Bhatia (IND) 4-0 (retired);
3-Vaidehee Chaudhari (IND) bt Madhurima Sawant (IND) 6-2, 6-2;
Arina Arifullina bt Pooja Ingale (IND) 6-4, 6-2;
1-Justina Mikulskyte (LTU) bt Zuzanna Kolonus (POL) 0-6, 6-3, 6-1;
2-Zuzanna Pawlikowska (POL) bt Sonal Patil (IND) 6-2, 6-4;
5-Elina Nepliy bt Laxmisiri Dandu (IND) 6-1, 6-1.
Doubles (Quarterfinals)
4-Sravya Shivani Chilakalapudi (IND) / Zeel Desai (IND) bt Laxmisiri Dandu (IND) / Chevika Reddy Sama (IND) 6-4, 6-3;
3-Akanksha Dileep Nitture (IND) / Michika Ozeki (JPN) Vs. Diva Bhatia (IND) / Jennifer Luikham (IND) 0-6, 7-5, 10-3;
1-Vaidehee Chaudhari (IND) / Zuzanna Pawlikowska (Pol) bt Soha Sadiq (IND) / Madhurima Sawant (IND) 7-5, 6-1;
Ksenia Laskutova / Elina Nepliy bt Aishwarya Jadhav (IND) / Aakruti Narayan Sonkusare (IND) 6-2, 6-2.
(Photos: KSLTA / Deepthi Indukuri)