Date:05/05/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/05/05/stories/2008050556942000.htm

Sport - Tennis

Isha Lakhani given top billing

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Isha Lakhani, who missed action in the last week’s ITF tournament in Angamaly, has been given the top billing for the BSNL Kerala Open ITF women’s tennis tournament starting at the TTC courts here on Monday.

In fact, the top five are all Indians while the two foreign players to figure in the seeding list are Miki Miyamura (Japan) and Min-Hwa Yu (South Korea), who find their names placed at the sixth and seventh spots respectively ahead of another Indian, Sonal Phadke, seeded eighth.

Placed just behind Lakhani, is Rushmi Chakravarthi, who won a grand double in Angamaly and who if calculations go right should be gunning for the top seed in the action to unfold here. Sanaa Bhambri, Parija Maloo and Prerana-Mythri Apineni are the other Indian seeds finding themselves in the third, fourth and fifth rungs respectively.

The main draw of 32 also includes two local players – products of the host Trivandrum Tennis Club – Parvathi Vijayan and Neha Nair who have been provided with two of the three wild cards. The quarterfinals of the tournament are to be held on May 8, the semifinals on May and the final on May 10.

In doubles action, there would be 16 pairs in the fray for the top honours. Here again, it is Isha Lakhani, partnering Parul Goswami, who have been given the top slot in the seedings list ahead of the Japanese-South Korea combo of Miyamur and Yu.

Meanwhile, the tournament offering a total prize money of $10,000, was formally inaugurated by the Kerala Chief Minister, V.S. Achuthanandan, on Sunday evening at a simple yet colourful ceremony. The TTC president, A.P.Nair presided.

The seedings (singles): 1. Isha Lakhani, 2. Rushmi Chakravarthi, 3. Sanaa Bhambri, 4. Prija Maloo, 5. Prerana-Mythri Appineni, 6.Miki Miyamura (Japan), 7.Min-Hwa Yu (South Korea), 8. Sonal Phadke.

Final qualifying round results:Kesiki Jayapalan bt Aishwarya Agrawal 5-7, 6-3, 6-0; Ashmitha Easwaramurthi bt Harshini Reddy 4-6, 6-1, 6-3; Yuri Kurashima (Jpn) bt Lisa Viplav 4-6, 7-5, 7-5; Archana Venktaraman bt Arthi Venkataraman 6-0, 6-1; Dipti Srivastava bt Prerana Prathap 6-3, 6-4; Alexandra Riley (U.S.) bt Shweta Kakhandki Gadigeppa 6-4, 6-1; Shahin Ansari bt Shana Shetty 6-3, 6-3; Geeta Manohar bt Nupur Kaul 6-0, 6-0. — Special Correspondent