Shrivalli rallies to beat Rutuja

National champion Shrivalli Bhamidipaty recovered from being down 6-0, 3-1 to beat Rutuja Bhosale 0-6, 6-4, 6-0 in the first round of the NECC $25,000 ITF women’s tennis tournament at the Deccan Gymkhana on Tuesday.

The 20-year-old, who had to come through the qualifying event, was playing 25-year-old Rutuja for the first time in the professional circuit. A player with an all-round explosive game, Shrivalli had the confidence to arrest the trend against a quality player and turn the tide in her favour.

In the second round, Shrivalli will play fifth seed Nigina Abduraimova of Uzbekistan, who dismissed So-Ra Lee of Korea for the loss of four games.

Wild card entrant Farhat Aleen Qamar led 6-2, 1-1 against Y. Pranjala when the latter retired with an injury. Farhat Aleen will challenge the third seed Chihiro Muramatsu of Japan in the second round.

Another wild card entrant, Vaidehi Chaudhari beat qualifier Weronika Baszak of Poland in straight sets.

Sowjanya Bavisetti and Akanksha Nitture were unable to capitalise on their chances after they won the first sets against Ekaterina Reyngold and Valeriya Strakhova.

Karman Kaur Thandi was the only other Indian player to reach the second round, and did so at the expense of lucky loser Soha Sadiq.

Karman will meet the top seed Nefisa Berberovic in the second round.

The results: First round: Nefisa Berberovic (BIH) bt Naho Sato (Jpn) 6-3, 7-5; Karman Kaur Thandi bt Soha Sadiq 6-1, 6-3; Ekaterina Reyngold (Rus) bt Sowjany Bavisetti 4-6, 6-2, 6-3; Akiko Omae (Jpn) bt Arthi Muniyan 6-1, 6-2; Diana Marcinkevica (Lat) bt Nidhi Chilumula 6-0, 6-1; Zhibek Kulambayeva (Kaz) bt Clara Vlasselaer (Bel) 3-6, 6-3, 7-5; Vaidehi Chaudhari bt Weronika Baszak (Pol) 6-2, 6-4; Valeriya Strakhova (Ukr) bt Akanksha Nitture 6-7(0), 6-0, 6-1; Ekaterina Yashina (Rus) bt Funa Kozaki (Jpn) 6-1, 6-2; Moyuka Uchijima (Jpn) bt Shreya Tatavarthy 6-0, 6-0; Farhat Aleen Qamar bt Y. Pranjala 6-2, 1-1 (retired); Chihiro Muramatsu (Jpn) bt Hiroko Kuwata (Jpn) 7-5, 6-3; Nigina Abduraimova (Uzb) bt So-Ra Lee (Kor) 6-3, 6-1; Shrivalli Bhamidipaty bt Rutuja Bhosale 0-6, 6-4, 6-0; Misaki Matsuda (Jpn) bt Sathwika Sama 6-1, 6-3; Anna Danilina (Kaz) bt Zeel Desai 7-6(3), 6-3.