Sonal Patil Stuns Sixth Seed to Reach Maiden ITF Final at W15 Nagpur
Sonal Patil scripted a stunning comeback victory to reach her maiden ITF final at W15 Nagpur, while third seed Zeel Desai bowed out at the semi-final stage in a closely-fought contest.
Sonal Patil (WTA 1159) registered a remarkable semi-final victory over sixth seed Elina Nepliy (WTA 690), winning 1-6, 6-3, 7-5 to enter her maiden ITF final. Patil was outplayed in a one-sided opening set — but she regrouped, raised her level, and took complete control of the match from there, seeing off a stern test in the decider to record the highest-ranked scalp of her career. She also extends her head-to-head record against Nepliy to 2-0. Patil will face second seed Zhibek Kulambayeva (WTA 419) for the title.
Third seed Zeel Desai gave a spirited account of herself against second seed Zhibek Kulambayeva (WTA 419), but ultimately fell 6-7(2), 3-6. Desai pushed hard in a tight opening set, only to lose it in the tiebreak, and could not quite replicate that intensity in the second as the Kazakh sealed her spot in the final. It is a creditable campaign nonetheless for Desai, who reached her second ITF semi-final within a span of four weeks.
