Vaidehee Chaudhari, Zeel Desai storm into Semifinals of ITF W35 Tumakuru Open
Tumakuru, May 8: Indian stars Vaidehee Chaudhari and Zeel Desai kept the home challenge alive by advancing to the singles semifinals of the Tumakuru Open ITF W35 after hard-fought three-set victories at the Tumakuru District Tennis Courts on Friday. Top seed Justina Mikulskyte and second seed Zuzanna Pawlikowska also survived stern tests to complete a high-quality semifinal lineup. In doubles, Vaidehee and Pawlikowska entered the final in dominant fashion, while the pair of Ksenia Laskutova and Elina Nepliy secured the other spot in the title clash.
Vaidehee will clash with Justina in the first semifinal while Zeel locks horns with Pawlikowska in the second semi-final.
Third seed Vaidehee battled past sixth seed Ekaterina Yashina 6-4, 6-7(5), 7-5 in a gripping encounter that lasted two hours and 40 minutes. The Indian began aggressively, breaking in the third game and again in the seventh after Yashina double-faulted on the fourth break point. Though the Russian clawed one break back in the eighth game, Vaidehee immediately restored her advantage to seal the opening set.
Yashina responded strongly in the second set, racing to a 3-0 lead after an early break. Vaidehee fought back with a crucial break in the seventh game and forced a tiebreak, but the Russian edged it 7-5 to level the match. The deciding set witnessed another momentum shift as Yashina secured an early break, only for Vaidehee to show tremendous composure under pressure. The Indian turned the match around with crucial breaks in the eighth and 12th games to clinch a hard-fought victory and book her place in the last four.
Fourth seed Zeel Desai then matched her compatriot’s fighting spirit with a dramatic 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 comeback win over Arina Arifullina in a marathon contest lasting two hours and 52 minutes.
Zeel had initially broken in the seventh game of the opening set, but Arifullina responded strongly with breaks in the eighth and 10th games to take the set. The second set turned into a rollercoaster with both players exchanging breaks repeatedly before the Indian held her nerve to break in the ninth game and level the match.
The final set proved to be a tense battle of endurance and mental strength. Arifullina grabbed an early break in the opening game, but Zeel immediately broke back in the second. One of the defining moments came in the third game when the Indian saved a break point and eventually held serve after a dramatic exchange involving seven deuce-advantage battles. With the match seemingly headed towards a tiebreak, Zeel produced the decisive break in the 12th game to complete a memorable comeback.
Despite committing nine double faults, Zeel displayed exceptional resilience and determination, while also firing two aces during the contest. Arifullina struck five aces but was unable to stop the Indian’s late charge as both Vaidehee and Zeel kept Indian hopes alive in the tournament with gutsy semifinal entries.
Results
Women’s Singles (Quarterfinals)
4-Zeel Desai (IND) bt Arina Arifullina 4-6, 6-3, 7-5;
2-Zuzanna Pawlikowska (POL) bt 5-Elina Nepliy 1-6, 7-5, 3-0 (retired);
3-Vaidehee Chaudhari (IND) bt 6-Ekaterina Yashina 6-4, 6-7 (5), 7-5;
1-Justina Mikulskyte (LTU) bt Ksenia Laskutova 5-7, 6-0, 6-2;
Doubles (Semifinals)
1-Vaidehee Chaudhari (IND) / Zuzanna Pawlikowska (POL) bt 3-Akanksha Dileep Nitture (IND) / Michika Ozeki (JPN) 6-1, 6-2;
Ksenia Laskutova / Elina Nepliy bt 4-Sravya Shivani Chilakalapudi (IND) / Zeel Desai (IND) 6-1, 6-2.
(Photos: KSLTA / Deepthi Indukuri)
