It was a busy day for the Indian players on the hard courts of the Cricket Club of India here on Tuesday. In the morning, Ankita Raina secured an emphatic victory, defeating Vaishnavi Adkar 6-2, 6-2.
Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi, 15, also continued her dream run as she progressed to the second round.
Playing the biggest tournament of her career, qualifier Maaya stunned World No. 225 Iryna Shymanovich of Belarus 6-4, 6-1 in the first round of the main draw at the Cricket Club of India.
Maaya, awarded a wildcard by the organisers, defeated World No. 265 Nicole Fossa Huergo of Italy 6-3, 3-6, 6-0 in the first round of qualifying. The girl from Coimbatore booked her spot in the main draw by taking down World No. 434 Jessica Failla of USA 7-6(9), 1-6, 6-4 in the final round.
For Ankita, the first set saw her take an early lead with powerful forehand smashes and precise placements.
Despite a brief fightback from Vaishnavi to level the score at 1-1, her errors allowed Ankita to maintain the upper hand. Although Vaishnavi managed to win a game, she was unable to regain control of the match, and Ankita ultimately closed out the set with a score of 6-2.
The second set was equally commanding for Ankita. She quickly established control with perfect volleys and a series of lobs and drop shots, breaking Vaishnavi to lead 2-0. Strong serving and consistent cross-court returns sealed the match in straight sets, with Ankita never allowing Vaishnavi to find a rhythm.
In the second match, a calm and collected Shrivalli Bhamidipaty put on an impressive performance, overpowering Russia’s Elena Pridankina with a dominant 6-1, 6-0 scoreline and moved to the next round without breaking a sweat.
The results (second round):
Ankita Raina bt Vaishnavi Adkar 6-2, 6-2; Shrivalli Bhamidipaty bt Elena Pridankina (Rus) 6-1, 6-0; Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi bt Iryna Shymanovich (Bel) 6-4, 6-1.
Content Source: sportstar.thehindu.com