Tumakuru, May 9: Top seed Justina Mikulskyte and second seed Zuzanna Pawlikowska set up a blockbuster summit clash at the Tumakuru Open ITF W35 after dramatic semifinal encounters at the Tumakuru District Tennis Courts on Saturday.
Lithuania’s Justina ended the impressive run of India’s Vaidehee Chaudhari with a hard-fought 6-3, 2-6, 6-2 victory in the first semifinal. The top seed struck the decisive break in the sixth game of the opening set before Vaidehee roared back strongly in the second, breaking in the fourth, sixth and eighth games to level the match convincingly.
However, Justina regained control in the deciding set with early breaks in the first and fifth games, using her experience and consistency to close out the contest and book her place in the final. Both players struck two aces each, while Vaidehee committed five double faults against Justina’s three.
The second semifinal produced heartbreaking scenes for India’s Zeel Desai, who was forced to retire despite leading against Poland’s Zuzanna Pawlikowska. Zeel had edged a gripping opening set in a tense tiebreak 11-9 and was leading 2-1 in the second set when severe cramps brought her impressive run to a painful end.
The Indian, who had battled through multiple marathon matches earlier in the tournament, took a medical timeout but struggled to even stand on court as the physical toll finally caught up with her. Ironically, Pawlikowska herself was dealing with a shoulder injury during the match, making it a dramatic battle of survival between two physically struggling players.
Later in the day, the doubles final also could not be completed after Pawlikowska’s shoulder injury forced her and Vaidehee Chaudhari to withdraw from the title clash. As a result, the pair of Ksenia Laskutova and Elina Nepliy were declared champions.
The winning duo earned USD 1,762 and 35 WTA points each, while runners-up Vaidehee and Pawlikowska received USD 895 and 23 ranking points.
The singles final on Sunday will now witness an exciting clash between the tournament’s top two seeds — Justina Mikulskyte and Zuzanna Pawlikowska.
Results:
Women’s Singles (Semifinals):
1-Justina Mikulskyte (LTU) bt 3-Vaidehee Chaudhari (IND) 6-3, 2-6, 6-2;
2-Zuzanna Pawlikowska (POL) bt 4-Zeel Desai (IND) 6-7(9), 1-2 (retired).
Doubles (Final):
Ksenia Laskutova / Elina Nepliy bt 1-Vaidehee Chaudhari (IND) / Zuzanna Pawlikowska (POL) walkover.