Sport - Tennis

Rushmi advances

MUZAFFAR NAGAR: Rushmi Chakravarthi served out a strong warning with a superb performance while Parul Goswami and Poojashree Venkatesh put out seeded opponents in the pre-quarterfinals of the Bhavna Swarup memorial $10,000 ITF women’s tournament here on Wednesday.

Rushmi, who raced past Sweta Kumari Solanki for the loss of just three games, will meet Poojashree Venkatesh in the quarterfinals. Poojashree knocked out her doubles partner, the eighth-seeded Alexandra Kolesnichenko of Uzbekistan, with admirable ease in the second set after a struggle in the first.

A bout of neck pain had Parul in a spot of bother against seventh seed Parija Maloo, but the former recovered her composure to speed away in the decider in an absorbing contest.

The results: Singles (pre-quarterfinals): Nicole Thyssen (Ned) bt Chun-Yan He (Chn) 6-3, 6-2; Parul Goswami bt Parija Maloo 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-0; Rushmi Chakravarthi bt Sweta Kumari Solanki 6-2, 6-1; Poojashree Venkatesh bt Alexandra Kolesnichenko (Uzb) 7-5, 6-1; Emily Webley-Smith (GBR) bt Iuliia Kirienko (Ukr) 1-6, 7-5, 6-3; Leonie Mekel (Ned) bt Inna Kuzmenko (Rus) 6-4, 6-2; Sanaa Bhambri bt Jung-Yoon Shin (Kor) 6-4, 6-3; Vivian Segnini (Bra) bt Patrycja Sanduska (Pol) 6-3, 7-6(2).