Date:24/06/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/06/24/stories/2006062409211700.htm

Sport - Tennis

Sanaa and Archana duo triumphs

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: Top-seeded Sanaa Bhambri and Archana Venkataraman clinched the doubles title in the Jubilant Organosys $10,000 ITF women's tennis tournament at the DLTA Complex here on Friday.

They outwitted the unseeded Singapore-Chinese combination of Wei-Ping Lee and Lu Jing-Jing 6-3, 7-6(4) in the final.

It was the fourth doubles title in nine finals for the 18-year-old Sanaa.

She had won her last doubles title in partnership with her sister Ankita in the $25,000 tournament in Lagos, Nigeria, in October last year.

For the 27-year-old Archana, it was the third doubles title at this level from six finals. She had won her other titles with Geeta Manohar and Rushmi Chakravarthi.

Earlier, in the singles, the Chinese asserted their growing supremacy as the fourth-seeded Ren Jing and the seventh-seeded Ji Chun-Mei set up a title clash.

Ji Chun-Mei outplayed compatriot Lu Jing-Jing, a qualifier. In the other semifinals, Ren Jing proved too smart for the unseeded Lavinia Tananta of Indonesia.

The results:

Singles (semifinals): Ji Chun-Mei (Chn) bt Lu Jing-Jing (Chn) 6-4, 6-1; Ren Jing (Chn) bt Lavinia Tananta (Ina) 6-2, 6-2.

Doubles (final): Sanaa Bhambri and Archana Venkataraman bt Wei-Ping Lee (Sin) and Lu JIng-Jing (Chn) 6-3, 7-6 (4).