ITF Women's World Tour: Jagmeet causes the first ripple in 15k event in Bengaluru

Bengaluru, Nov 30 (IANS) Jagmeet Kaur Grewal caused the first upset of the US$ 15K KSLTA ITF Women's World Tour Championship by ousting the fancied fifth seed Mihika Yadav to make it to the pre-quarterfinals on the opening day of the tournament here on Tuesday. In a first-round 3encounter, wildcard Jagmeet, the 19-year-old from Delhi, won 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 in nearly two hours to advance to the next round where she will meet the winner of the match third seed Sowjanya Bavisetti and Snehal Mane slated for wednesday.

Meanwhile, Soha Sadiq brought cheers to the local crowd when she outplayed American Shria Atturu in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2 to advance to the last-16 stage. Joining her was seventh seed So-Ra Lee of Korea who went past Ramya Natarajan 6-4, 6-2 while Vaidhehi Chaudhari outwitted Nidhi Chilumula 6-2, 6-2 in the last singles match of the day.

Jagmeet, a wild card entrant, admitted that she had to adjust to the bounce due to the altitude. However, this did not show in her game as she was fast and furious to unsettle her opponent, who struggled to return to the other side of the court in the initial stages of the match. With breaks in the second and fourth games, Jagmeet, raced to a 4-0 lead before Mihika showed signs of recovery by winning the next two games. However, her opponent returned the favour to wrest the first set.

The next set saw a reversal of roles as Mihika, with renewed energy, made her rival scramble for the ball on both the flanks and was off to a 4-0 lead with breaks in the second and fourth games. The players then held their serves as the match went into the decider. It was a different Jagmeet in the final set as she served better and moved faster and also augmented by her opponent's double faults at crucial junctures went 5-0 up before Mihika made a fightback, saving a match point on her serve.
Serving for the match, Jagmeet double-faulted twice to lose the game and Mihika held her serve at love, only to prolong the inevitable.

Soha who had won the Rs 1-lakh Women's Open at KSLTA in October, pierced through the defence of her rival, earning her a speedy 4-1 lead before capturing the set. The Bengalurean played some attacking tennis throughout the match and especially put her forehand to good use which broke through the defence of Shria. The American could just manage to hold her serve in the first and seventh games of the first set and the first and fifth in the second as Soha just breezed into the pre-quarters comfortably.

Results (Indians unless mentioned)

Women's Singles (Round of 32): Vaidehi Chaudhari bt Nidhi Chilumula 6-2, 6-2; Shria Atturu (USA) lost to Soha Sadiq 2-6, 2-6; Ramya Natarajan lost to 7-So-Ra Lee (Kor) 4-6, 2-6; WC-Jagmeet Kaur Grewal bt 5-Mihika Yadav 6-2, 2-6, 6-3.

Women's doubles (Rd of 16): Sonashe Bhatnagar/Bela Tamhankar lost to 4-Sharmada Balu/Sravya Shivani Chilakapudi 3-6, 2-6; Arthi Muniyan/Akanksha Dileep Nitture lost to Humera Baharmus/Shrivalli Rashmikaa Bhamidipaty 1-6, 2-6; 3-Nidhi Chilumula/Snehal Mane lost to Sai Samhitha Chamarthi/Sadiq Soha 4-6, 1-6; Shria Atturu (USA)/Niditra Rajmohan bt WC-Pragathi Narayan Prasad/Prathiba Narayan Prasad 7-6 (4), 6-4; Ramya Natarajan/Saumya Vig bt WC-Priyanshi Bhandari/Reshma Maruri 6-2, 6-2; Smriti Bhasin/Shreya Tatavarthy lost to Vaidehi Chaudhari/Mihika Yadav 4-6, 2-6; 1-Sowjanya Bavisetti/Rutuja Bhosale bt Yubarani Banerjee/Jagmeet Kaur Grewal 6-0, 6-2; Pooja Ingale/Prathyusha Rachapudi lost to 2-So-Ra Lee (Kor)/Sathwika Sama 5-7, 1-6.