It turned out to be a bright outing for qualifier Mihika Yadav on Tuesday when she shocked top-seeded Dhruthi Venugopal in the rain-hit first round and then kept up the intensity to storm into the women's singles quarterfinals of the Fenesta National Tennis Championships at the Delhi Lawn Tennis Association.
Karnataka's Dhruthi was leading 7-6 (3), 1-6, 5-4, when rain stopped play on Monday evening. However, on resumption this morning, Mihika staged a gutsy fightback where she saved two match points before prevailing in tie-break to win 6-7(3), 6-1, 7-6(3). The unseeded Maharashtra girl then returned to beat qualifier Pratibha Narayan 6-0, 6-2 to set up a quarterfinal contest with sixth-seeded Eetee Maheta.
Dhruthi's doubles partner Sharrmadaa Balu, though, cruised into the quarterfinals. She beat Shweta Rana, who in the morning, had upset second seed Rishika Sunkara 6-0, 6-1. The diminutive Shweta, who is with Railways and trains with coach Todd Clark in Ahmedabad, had hit the right notes when she notched up a 5-1 lead in the first set but Sharrmadaa mounted an impressive comeback for a 7-6(5), 6-4 victory.
Solid on both flanks, backhand in particular, and armed with a strong serve, the Bengaluru girl reeled off four games to make it 5-5 before pocketing the first set. She broke Shweta straightaway in the second set and swiftly served out the match with scorching backhand down the line winner.
"The ankle injury kept me out of action for 10-11 months. I returned only two months ago and won four doubles titles in futures in Egypt.
"Arranging funds is a big issue as I don't have a sponsor. For now, I train with Zeeshan Ali (Davis Cup coach) whenever I am in Bengaluru," said Sharrmadda, who next plays Vaidehi Chaudhari.
In the men's singles, second seed Mohit Mayur Jayaprakash was knocked out by unseeded Tejas Chaukulkar 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 while top seed Vishnu Vardhan entered the second round with 6-4, 6-3 victory over Paramveer Singh Bajwa.
Results: Men's singles second round: 1-Vishnu Vardhan bt Paramveer Singh Bajwa 6-4, 6-3; Dalwinder Singh bt Ansu Bhuyan 6-3, 6-3; 3-Ranjeet Virali Murugesan bt Sai Saran Byreddy 7-6(4), 1-6, 7-5; 5-Kunal Anand bt Faisal Qamar 7-6 (2), 4-6, 6-2; 8-Jayesh Pungiya bt Irfan Hussain 6-2, 6-1; Haddin Bava bt S Abhinab Sanjiv 6-3 7-5; 7-Siddharth Vishwakarma br D Suesh 6-3, 6-1; Tesjas Chaukulkar bt Mohit Mayur Jayaprakash 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Women's singles second round: Mihika Yadav bt Pratibha Narayan 6-0, 6-2; 6-Eetee bt Neeru Rapria 6-0, 6-1; 4-Pranjala Yadlapalli 6-1, 6-1; Jennifer Luikham bt 5-Sai Samhitha Chamarth 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-3; 8-Nidhi Chilumula bt Harsha Sai Challa 6-2, 6-2; 3-Riya Bhatia bt Samriti Punyani 6-2, 6-1; Sharrmadaa Balu bt Shweta Rana 7-6(5), 6-4; Vaidehi Chaudhari bt Himani Mor 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-3;
First round: Mihika Yadav bt 1-Dhruthi Venugopal 6-7(3), 6-1, 7-6 (3); 8-Nidhi Chilumula bt Saumya Vig 6-2, 6-2; 3-Riya Bhatia bt Pareen Shivekar 4-6, 6-0, 6-0; Vaidehi Chaudhari bt Sowjanya Bavisetti 6-3 2-6, 6-2; Shweta Rana bt 2- Rishika Sunkara 6-0, 6-1; Himani Mor bt Sai Deedeepya 6-3, 7-5.
![]( "In form Karnataka's Sharrmadaa Balu entered the quarterfinals of the National tennis meet on Wednesday. dh file photo")
It turned out to be a bright outing for qualifier Mihika Yadav on Tuesday when she shocked top-seeded Dhruthi Venugopal in the rain-hit first round and then kept up the intensity to storm into the women’s singles quarterfinals of the Fenesta National Tennis Championships at the Delhi Lawn Tennis Association.
Karnataka’s Dhruthi was leading 7-6 (3), 1-6, 5-4, when rain stopped play on Monday evening. However, on resumption this morning, Mihika staged a gutsy fightback where she saved two match points before prevailing in tie-break to win 6-7(3), 6-1, 7-6(3). The unseeded Maharashtra girl then returned to beat qualifier Pratibha Narayan 6-0, 6-2 to set up a quarterfinal contest with sixth-seeded Eetee Maheta.
Dhruthi’s doubles partner Sharrmadaa Balu, though, cruised into the quarterfinals. She beat Shweta Rana, who in the morning, had upset second seed Rishika Sunkara 6-0, 6-1. The diminutive Shweta, who is with Railways and trains with coach Todd Clark in Ahmedabad, had hit the right notes when she notched up a 5-1 lead in the first set but Sharrmadaa mounted an impressive comeback for a 7-6(5), 6-4 victory.
Solid on both flanks, backhand in particular, and armed with a strong serve, the Bengaluru girl reeled off four games to make it 5-5 before pocketing the first set. She broke Shweta straightaway in the second set and swiftly served out the match with scorching backhand down the line winner.
"The ankle injury kept me out of action for 10-11 months. I returned only two months ago and won four doubles titles in futures in Egypt.
"Arranging funds is a big issue as I don’t have a sponsor. For now, I train with Zeeshan Ali (Davis Cup coach) whenever I am in Bengaluru,” said Sharrmadda, who next plays Vaidehi Chaudhari.
In the men’s singles, second seed Mohit Mayur Jayaprakash was knocked out by unseeded Tejas Chaukulkar 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 while top seed Vishnu Vardhan entered the second round with 6-4, 6-3 victory over Paramveer Singh Bajwa.
Results: Men’s singles second round: 1-Vishnu Vardhan bt Paramveer Singh Bajwa 6-4, 6-3; Dalwinder Singh bt Ansu Bhuyan 6-3, 6-3; 3-Ranjeet Virali Murugesan bt Sai Saran Byreddy 7-6(4), 1-6, 7-5; 5-Kunal Anand bt Faisal Qamar 7-6 (2), 4-6, 6-2; 8-Jayesh Pungiya bt Irfan Hussain 6-2, 6-1; Haddin Bava bt S Abhinab Sanjiv 6-3 7-5; 7-Siddharth Vishwakarma br D Suesh 6-3, 6-1; Tesjas Chaukulkar bt Mohit Mayur Jayaprakash 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Women’s singles second round: Mihika Yadav bt Pratibha Narayan 6-0, 6-2; 6-Eetee bt Neeru Rapria 6-0, 6-1; 4-Pranjala Yadlapalli 6-1, 6-1; Jennifer Luikham bt 5-Sai Samhitha Chamarth 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-3; 8-Nidhi Chilumula bt Harsha Sai Challa 6-2, 6-2; 3-Riya Bhatia bt Samriti Punyani 6-2, 6-1; Sharrmadaa Balu bt Shweta Rana 7-6(5), 6-4; Vaidehi Chaudhari bt Himani Mor 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-3;
First round: Mihika Yadav bt 1-Dhruthi Venugopal 6-7(3), 6-1, 7-6 (3); 8-Nidhi Chilumula bt Saumya Vig 6-2, 6-2; 3-Riya Bhatia bt Pareen Shivekar 4-6, 6-0, 6-0; Vaidehi Chaudhari bt Sowjanya Bavisetti 6-3 2-6, 6-2; Shweta Rana bt 2- Rishika Sunkara 6-0, 6-1; Himani Mor bt Sai Deedeepya 6-3, 7-5.
Karnataka's Dhruthi was leading 7-6 (3), 1-6, 5-4, when rain stopped play on Monday evening. However, on resumption this morning, Mihika staged a gutsy fightback where she saved two match points before prevailing in tie-break to win 6-7(3), 6-1, 7-6(3). The unseeded Maharashtra girl then returned to beat qualifier Pratibha Narayan 6-0, 6-2 to set up a quarterfinal contest with sixth-seeded Eetee Maheta.
Dhruthi's doubles partner Sharrmadaa Balu, though, cruised into the quarterfinals. She beat Shweta Rana, who in the morning, had upset second seed Rishika Sunkara 6-0, 6-1. The diminutive Shweta, who is with Railways and trains with coach Todd Clark in Ahmedabad, had hit the right notes when she notched up a 5-1 lead in the first set but Sharrmadaa mounted an impressive comeback for a 7-6(5), 6-4 victory.
Solid on both flanks, backhand in particular, and armed with a strong serve, the Bengaluru girl reeled off four games to make it 5-5 before pocketing the first set. She broke Shweta straightaway in the second set and swiftly served out the match with scorching backhand down the line winner.
"The ankle injury kept me out of action for 10-11 months. I returned only two months ago and won four doubles titles in futures in Egypt.
"Arranging funds is a big issue as I don't have a sponsor. For now, I train with Zeeshan Ali (Davis Cup coach) whenever I am in Bengaluru," said Sharrmadda, who next plays Vaidehi Chaudhari.
In the men's singles, second seed Mohit Mayur Jayaprakash was knocked out by unseeded Tejas Chaukulkar 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 while top seed Vishnu Vardhan entered the second round with 6-4, 6-3 victory over Paramveer Singh Bajwa.
Results: Men's singles second round: 1-Vishnu Vardhan bt Paramveer Singh Bajwa 6-4, 6-3; Dalwinder Singh bt Ansu Bhuyan 6-3, 6-3; 3-Ranjeet Virali Murugesan bt Sai Saran Byreddy 7-6(4), 1-6, 7-5; 5-Kunal Anand bt Faisal Qamar 7-6 (2), 4-6, 6-2; 8-Jayesh Pungiya bt Irfan Hussain 6-2, 6-1; Haddin Bava bt S Abhinab Sanjiv 6-3 7-5; 7-Siddharth Vishwakarma br D Suesh 6-3, 6-1; Tesjas Chaukulkar bt Mohit Mayur Jayaprakash 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Women's singles second round: Mihika Yadav bt Pratibha Narayan 6-0, 6-2; 6-Eetee bt Neeru Rapria 6-0, 6-1; 4-Pranjala Yadlapalli 6-1, 6-1; Jennifer Luikham bt 5-Sai Samhitha Chamarth 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-3; 8-Nidhi Chilumula bt Harsha Sai Challa 6-2, 6-2; 3-Riya Bhatia bt Samriti Punyani 6-2, 6-1; Sharrmadaa Balu bt Shweta Rana 7-6(5), 6-4; Vaidehi Chaudhari bt Himani Mor 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-3;
First round: Mihika Yadav bt 1-Dhruthi Venugopal 6-7(3), 6-1, 7-6 (3); 8-Nidhi Chilumula bt Saumya Vig 6-2, 6-2; 3-Riya Bhatia bt Pareen Shivekar 4-6, 6-0, 6-0; Vaidehi Chaudhari bt Sowjanya Bavisetti 6-3 2-6, 6-2; Shweta Rana bt 2- Rishika Sunkara 6-0, 6-1; Himani Mor bt Sai Deedeepya 6-3, 7-5.
It turned out to be a bright outing for qualifier Mihika Yadav on Tuesday when she shocked top-seeded Dhruthi Venugopal in the rain-hit first round and then kept up the intensity to storm into the women’s singles quarterfinals of the Fenesta National Tennis Championships at the Delhi Lawn Tennis Association. Karnataka’s Dhruthi was leading 7-6 (3), 1-6, 5-4, when rain stopped play on Monday evening. However, on resumption this morning, Mihika staged a gutsy fightback where she saved two match points before prevailing in tie-break to win 6-7(3), 6-1, 7-6(3). The unseeded Maharashtra girl then returned to beat qualifier Pratibha Narayan 6-0, 6-2 to set up a quarterfinal contest with sixth-seeded Eetee Maheta.
Dhruthi’s doubles partner Sharrmadaa Balu, though, cruised into the quarterfinals. She beat Shweta Rana, who in the morning, had upset second seed Rishika Sunkara 6-0, 6-1. The diminutive Shweta, who is with Railways and trains with coach Todd Clark in Ahmedabad, had hit the right notes when she notched up a 5-1 lead in the first set but Sharrmadaa mounted an impressive comeback for a 7-6(5), 6-4 victory.
Solid on both flanks, backhand in particular, and armed with a strong serve, the Bengaluru girl reeled off four games to make it 5-5 before pocketing the first set. She broke Shweta straightaway in the second set and swiftly served out the match with scorching backhand down the line winner.
"The ankle injury kept me out of action for 10-11 months. I returned only two months ago and won four doubles titles in futures in Egypt.
"Arranging funds is a big issue as I don’t have a sponsor. For now, I train with Zeeshan Ali (Davis Cup coach) whenever I am in Bengaluru,” said Sharrmadda, who next plays Vaidehi Chaudhari.
In the men’s singles, second seed Mohit Mayur Jayaprakash was knocked out by unseeded Tejas Chaukulkar 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 while top seed Vishnu Vardhan entered the second round with 6-4, 6-3 victory over Paramveer Singh Bajwa.
Results: Men’s singles second round: 1-Vishnu Vardhan bt Paramveer Singh Bajwa 6-4, 6-3; Dalwinder Singh bt Ansu Bhuyan 6-3, 6-3; 3-Ranjeet Virali Murugesan bt Sai Saran Byreddy 7-6(4), 1-6, 7-5; 5-Kunal Anand bt Faisal Qamar 7-6 (2), 4-6, 6-2; 8-Jayesh Pungiya bt Irfan Hussain 6-2, 6-1; Haddin Bava bt S Abhinab Sanjiv 6-3 7-5; 7-Siddharth Vishwakarma br D Suesh 6-3, 6-1; Tesjas Chaukulkar bt Mohit Mayur Jayaprakash 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Women’s singles second round: Mihika Yadav bt Pratibha Narayan 6-0, 6-2; 6-Eetee bt Neeru Rapria 6-0, 6-1; 4-Pranjala Yadlapalli 6-1, 6-1; Jennifer Luikham bt 5-Sai Samhitha Chamarth 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-3; 8-Nidhi Chilumula bt Harsha Sai Challa 6-2, 6-2; 3-Riya Bhatia bt Samriti Punyani 6-2, 6-1; Sharrmadaa Balu bt Shweta Rana 7-6(5), 6-4; Vaidehi Chaudhari bt Himani Mor 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-3;
First round: Mihika Yadav bt 1-Dhruthi Venugopal 6-7(3), 6-1, 7-6 (3); 8-Nidhi Chilumula bt Saumya Vig 6-2, 6-2; 3-Riya Bhatia bt Pareen Shivekar 4-6, 6-0, 6-0; Vaidehi Chaudhari bt Sowjanya Bavisetti 6-3 2-6, 6-2; Shweta Rana bt 2- Rishika Sunkara 6-0, 6-1; Himani Mor bt Sai Deedeepya 6-3, 7-5.