The fourth-seeded Natasha Palha recovered from the brink of defeat to get past the former Asian junior champion Snehadevi Reddy 5-7, 6-4, 4-1 (retired) in the semifinal of the $10,000 ITF women’s tennis tournament at the DLTA Complex here on Friday.
Natasha was at one time down 5-7, 2-4 (15-40). Snehadevi, who complained of a back strain that required medical attention during the match, tended to switch off quite often when playing well.
In the final, Natasha will challenge the third-seeded Peangtarn Plipuech of Thailand who dismissed the 16-year-old Karman Kaur Thandi for the loss of a token game.
Natasha moved well on court and led 4-0 and 5-2 in the first set, before Snehadevi stepped up her game to take the set 7-5. In the second set, Snehadevi called the shots to be up 4-2 and 40-15 before she lost six games on the trot.
She wanted to concede the match even in the second set, but referee Puneet Gupta wanted her to continue after taking the medical expert’s advice.
Eventually, Snehadevi retired when her opponent leading 4-1 in the decider.
Kim-Rutuja duo winsIn the doubles, Kim Dabin of Korea and Rutuja Bhosale won their second successive title as they combined well against Wang Yi-Xao of China and Sharrmadaa Baluu.
The results:
Singles (semifinals): Natasha Palha bt Snehadevi Reddy 5-7, 6-4, 4-1 (retired); Peangtarn Plipuech (Tha) bt Karman Kaur Thandi 6-0, 6-1.
Doubles (final): Kim Dabin (Kor) and Rutuja Bhosale bt Wang Xi-Yao (Chn) and Sharrmadaa Baluu 6-3, 6-4.
Semifinals: Wang Xi-Yao and Sharrmadaa Baluu bt Rishika Sunkara and Prarthana Thombare 7-5, 6-3.