Sport

Isha, Ankita and Sunitha march ahead

NEW DELHI: Isha Lakhani and Ankita Bhambri got off to strong starts to ensure a smooth passage into the second round of the $50,000 ITF women’s tennis tournament at the DLTA Complex here on Tuesday.

The seventh-seeded Sunitha Rao provided the icing on the cake on another pleasant day as she shrugged off a lethargic start to advance.

Top-seeded Andreja Klepac of Slovenia was shown the door by Andrea Hlavackova of the Czech Republic and the Asian champion, Iroda Tulyaganova of Uzbekistan was tamed by the fourth-seeded Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium.

Quite undoubtedly, the thrust for the Indian challenge was provided by the gutsy left-hander Lakhani as she toyed with the third-seeded Vesna Manasieva of Russia, racing away with the first set in just 27 minutes.

The national hard-court champion was returning well and was imaginative with her stroke-making in breaking her 144th ranked opponent in the sixth and eighth games.

Lakhani herself got broken in the seventh game, but there was no need for alarm bells as the diminutive Indian was very much in the driver’s seat.

Manasieva did not trouble Lakhani much as she pulled out with a stomach ailment after losing the first set 6-3.

Another player who had similar problem and did not have the stomach for a fight was the 281st ranked Ivana Lisjak of Croatia, who conceded her match against Bhambri. The Indian girl had asserted herself with big serving and solid stroking, in racing to a 6-3, 1-0 lead. She was serving at 40-0 when the Russian cried a halt to the proceedings.

Rao was quite rusty in starting off with but recovered her range to pip the smooth-stroking Ksenia Palkina of Kyrgyzstan, ranked 317, who seemed to lack the confidence in her ability.

Though she struggled to covert three matchpoints, Rao wound up in style with an ace, to complete a record a 6-4, 6-4 win.

The 989th ranked Shikha Uberoi, who had helped India stay in Asia-Oceania group ‘I’ in the Fed Cup recently in Bangkok, could not strike form and went down tamely to qualifier Montinee Tangphong of Thailand.

Qualifier Kristina Antoniychuk of Ukraine saved two matchpoints at 3-6, 3-5 to get past Suchanan Viratprasert of Thailand.

The results:

Singles (first round): Andrea Hlavackova (Cze) bt Andreja Klepac (Slo) 6-1, 6-2; Montinee Tangphong (Tha) bt Shikha Uberoi 6-3, 6-3; Naomi Cavaday (GBR) bt Sandy Gumulya (Ina) 6-2, 6-0; Yanina Wickmayer (Bel) bt Iroda Tulyaganova (Uzb) 7-6(5), 6-4; Kristina Antoniychuk (Ukr) bt Suchanan Viratprasert (Tha) 3-6, 7-5, 6-1; Ankita Bhambri bt Ivana Lisjak (Cro) 6-3, 1-0 (retired); Chanelle Scheepers (RSA) bt Veronika Chvojkova (Cze) 6-4, 5-7, 6-4; Lenka Tvaroskova (Svk) bt Lisa Sabino (Ita) 7-6(5), 5-7, 6-2; Isha Lakhani bt Vesna Manasieva (Rus) 6-3 (retired); Sunitha Rao bt Ksenia Palkina (Kgz) 6-4, 6-4; Teodora Mircic (Srb) bt Mihaela Buzarnescu (Rou) 6-1, 7-5; Mathilde Johansson (Fra) bt Anastasia Poltoratskaya (Rus) 6-2, 6-3.

Doubles (pre-quarterfinals): Ji Chun-Mei & Sun Sheng-Nan (Chn) bt Mihaela Buzarnescu (Rou) & Carmen Klaschka (Ger) 6-4, 6-1; Ivana Lisjak (Cro) & Yanina Wickmayer (Bel) w.o. Ekaterina Dzehalevich (Blr) & Vesna Manasieva (Rus).

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