Madhurima Sawant leads Indian charge at ITF W35 Tumakuru Open

Tumakuru, May 5: Indian players put up an impressive show in the opening round of the women’s event, with several home-grown talents advancing in both singles and doubles in the opening round of the ITF W35 Tumakuru Open at the Tumakuru University Tennis Stadium here on Tuesday,

Leading the charge was Madhurima Sawant, whose resilient three-set victory stood out as one of the performances of the day. Sawant displayed a fine blend of control and fighting spirit as she overcame Maria Mikhailova 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 in a match that tested her composure.

Earlier in the day, the tournament was inaugurated with much fanfare by Dr. G. Parameshwara, Hon’ble Home Minister and District In-charge Minister, Tumakuru, Mr. Jyoti Ganesh, MLA, Tumakuru Urban, Ms. Subha Kalyan, Deputy Commissioner and District Magistrate, Tumakuru, Mr. Ashok KV, Superintendent of Police, Tumakuru and Dr. K Govindaraj, President Karnataka Olympic Association amongst others.

Madhurima, after racing through the opening set with confident baseline play and sharp movement, she faced a strong response from Mikhailova in the second, where the Russian raised her level to draw parity. However, the Indian quickly regrouped in the decider, reasserting her dominance with aggressive shot-making and consistency to close out the match in style. The win underlines Sawant’s growing maturity and ability to handle momentum shifts at the professional level.

In another all-Indian clash, Sandeepti Singh Rao got the better of Yashaswini Panwar 6-3, 6-4 in a steady performance. Pooja Ingale also came through a tough three-setter, edging past Danica Fernando 7-5, 1-6, 6-4 in a closely fought encounter.

Sonal Patil delivered one of the most dominant wins of the round, brushing aside qualifier Snigdha Kanta 6-0, 6-3 to progress comfortably into the last 16.

Amongst the visitors, Ksenia Laskutova registered a notable win over seventh seed Michika Ozeki 6-3, 7-6(2), while fifth seed Elina Nepliy advanced with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Harshini N Nagaraj.

The Indian momentum continued in the Women’s Doubles Round of 16. Top seeds Vaidehee Chaudhari and Zuzanna Pawlikowska were in commanding form, defeating Maria Mikhailova and Sandeepti Singh Rao 6-1, 6-2.

The fourth-seeded all-Indian duo of Sravya Shivani Chilakalapudi and Zeel Desai were equally clinical, cruising to a 6-0, 6-2 win over Yashaswini Panwar and Bela Tamhankar.

In one of the standout results in doubles, Aishwarya Jadhav and Aakruti Narayan Sonkusare upset the second-seeded pair of Arina Arifullina and Ekaterina Yashina 6-4, 7-5.

The only setback for the home side came when Shreeniti Chowdhury and Meghana G D went down to Ksenia Laskutova and Elina Nepliy.

Results

Women’s Singles (Round Of 32)

Sandeepti Singh Rao (IND) bt Yashaswini Panwar (IND) 6-3, 6-4;
Madhurima Sawant (IND) bt Maria Mikhailova 6-2, 3-6, 6-1;
Ksenia Laskutova bt 7-Michika Ozeki (JPN) 6-3, 7-6 (2);
Pooja Ingale (IND) bt Danica Fernando (IND) 7-5, 1-6, 6-4;
5-Elina Nepliy bt Harshini N Nagaraj (IND) 6-4, 6-1;
Sonal Patil (IND) bt Snigdha Kanta (IND) 6-0, 6-3.

Women’s Doubles (Round of 16)

1-Vaidehee Chaudhari (IND) / Zuzanna Pawlikowska (POL) bt Maria Mikhailova / Sandeepti Singh Rao (IND) 6-1, 6-2;
4-Sravya Shivani Chilakalapudi (IND) / Zeel Desai (IND) bt Yashaswini Panwar (IND) / Bela Tamhankar (IND) 6-0, 6-2;
Aishwarya Jadhav (IND) / Aakruti Narayan Sonkusare (IND) bt 2-Arina Arifullina / Ekaterina Yashina 6-4, 7-5;
Ksenia Laskutova / Elina Nepliy bt Shreeniti Chowdhury (IND) / Meghana G D (IND) 6-0, 6-2;
Diva Bhatia (IND) / Jennifer Luikham (IND) bt Snigdha Kanta (IND) / Harshini N Nagaraj (IND) 1-6, 6-4, 10-7.
3-Akanksha Dileep Nitture (IND) / Michika Ozeki (JPN) Vs. Kashish Bhatia (IND) / Sonal Patil (IND) 6-3, 4-6, 8-4 (rain stopped play)