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Sayali Bhilare’s dream-run continues

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: Qualifier Sayali Bhilare stroked her way past the third-seeded Abhilasha Ahuja 6-0, 7-5 in the pre-quarterfinals of the DSCL National women’s tennis championship at the DLTA Complex here on Tuesday.

The 18-year-old Pune girl, a trainee of former champion Radhika Tulpule, fought well in the second set after a dream start to outwit Abhilasha who just did not settle down to play her best.

Abhilasha could have stretched the contest into the decider and fancied her chances then, but failed to capitalise on a 4-2 lead and could add only one more game as she tried to attack her way past trouble in vain.

Though she was not hitting through the ball in the classical way, Sayali played a quality game when it mattered and had the tenacity to fight her way back to command after letting things drift with a below par fare when her strokes lacked direction and sting.

Geeta advances

Sayali will meet the seventh-seeded Geeta Manohar who saved two set points in the first set to eventually overcome Gopika Kapoor 7-6(7), 6-1.

With her typical unorthodox strokes, that often fox her opponents, Geeta raced to a 4-1 lead before finding Gopika bounce back by winning the next four games.

It was to the credit of Geeta that she covered the court well and retained her focus for a straightforward finish.

Even in the tie-break, it was Gopika who called the shots initially when she went up 5-2 and had setpoints at 6-5 and 7-6, but Geeta hit her way through with telling winners.

Shweta stuns Treta

Shweta Chandra Rana, another qualifier like Sayali, exposed the lack quality in the women’s field as she beat the eighth-seeded Treta Bhattacharya in straight sets. However, she will have the task of matching wits with the second-seeded Sweta Kumari Solanki.

It is another matter that the organisers have returned to old times, by offering Rs. 30,000 for the winner, a far cry from the Rs. 80,000 that was being given till last year.

That should partially speak for the quality of the field.

Of course, players like Sayali or Shweta are not complaining as they attempt to grab the opportunity with both hands.

The results (pre-quarterfinals): Singles: Geeta Manohar bt Gopika Kapoor 7-6(7), 6-1; Sayali Bhilare bt Abhilasha Ahuja 6-0, 7-5; Shweta Chandra Rana bt Treta Bhattacharya 7-5, 6-4; Sweta Kumari Solanki bt Kesika Jayapalan 6-1, 6-1.

Doubles: Sowjanya Bavisetti and P. Sindhu Nila bt Shilpi Jaiswal and Shruti Jaiswal 6-0, 6-1; Prarthana Prathap and Anushree Thmmanna bt Baljinder Kaur and Renuka Keshwani bt Sadhana Athreya and Likitha Shetty 6-2, 6-1; Ratnika Batra and Sweta Kumari Solanki bt Kesika Jayapalan and Dipti Srivastava 6-2, 6-4.

Treta Bhattacharya and Shalini Sahoo bt Shweta Chandra Rana and Arushi Sharma 6-1, 6-4; Tanvi Gupta and Richa Valecha bt Vishika Chhetri and Geeta Manohar 2-6, 6-2, 10-8; Jilke Nelord and Harshini Reddy bt Abhilasha Ahuja and Rani Smita Jain 1-6, 6-1, 10-8.

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