Sarah-Rebecca knocks out second seed Punnin

Sarah-Rebecca Sekulic of Germany knocked out second seed and last year’s champion Punnin Kovapitukted of Thailand 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 in the first round of the $15,000 ITF women’s tennis tournament at the Tennis Project, Baliawas, on Wednesday.

In a fierce baseline battle, the 30-year-old Sarah had the better reach and punch to counter the foot speed of the gutsy Punnin. While Sarah converted five of eight break points, the 20-year-old Punnin fell short, winning four of six breakpoints. It was Punnin who won more points, 85 to 83, but Sarah won the points that mattered.

In the pre-quarterfinals, Sarah will face qualifier Julia Lovqvist of Sweden.

Champion of the last tournament, Zeel Desai warmed up with a 6-0, 6-2 victory over qualifier Liu Min of China. She will play another qualifier Pooja Ingale in the second round.

Sandeepti Singh Rao, the star of the last tournament in Jhajjar, who qualified and reached the final, set up a repeat clash with fifth seed Tamara Curovic of Serbia in the second round.

Akanksha Nitture went down fighting in three sets to Fanny Ostlund of Sweden. 

Shrivalli Bhamidipaty beat qualifier Sai Samhitha to set up a second round against third seed Saki Imamura of Japan.

The results (first round):

Diana Marcinkevica (Lat) bt Sachi Sharma 6-1, 6-1; Weronika Baszak (Pol) bt Shruti Gupta 6-1, 6-0; Pooja Ingale bt Vanshika Choudhary 4-6, 6-2, 6-1; Zeel Desai bt Liu Min (Chn) 6-0, 6-2; Saki Imamura (Jpn) bt Viktoria Veleva (Bul) 3-6, 6-0, 6-1; Shrivalli Bhamidipaty bt Sai Samhitha 6-3, 6-3; Sandeepti Singh Rao bt Ishwari Matere 6-0, 7-5; Tamara Curovic (Srb) bt Suhani Gaur 6-0, 6-1; Antonia Schmidt (Ger) bt Sevil Yuldasheva (Uzb) 6-2, 6-2; Marie Mettraux (Sui) bt Avishka Gupta 6-3, 6-2; Vaidehi Chaudhari bt Mihika Yadav 7-6(2), 6-0; Emily Welker (Ger) bt Yubrani Banerjee 6-1, 6-2; Fanny Ostlund (Swe) bt Akanksha Nitture 6-3, 3-6, 6-4; Julia lovqvist (Swe) bt Riya Uboveja 6-2, 6-1; Sarah-Rebecca Sekulic (Ger) bt Punnin Kovapitukted (Tha) 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.