Ankita Raina found her rhythm in the nick of time as she gave India a rousing start against Oman in the pre-quarterfinals of the women’s tennis event in the Asian Games at the Yeoromul Stadium here on Saturday.
Trailing 1-3 in the decider, the 21-year-old Ankita regained her confidence and composure to beat her friend and doubles partner Fatima Al Nabhani 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 in the second singles.
It was a decisive blow after Prarthana Thombare had outplayed the unranked 18-year-old Sarah Al Balushi 6-0, 6-1.
With Fatima opting out on medical grounds, the Oman team could not play the mandatory doubles, and gave a walkover to the Indian team.
The Indian girls stayed back on the court to train for the tough match against the top-seeded Kazakhstan on the morrow.
Pretty sharp
The Kazakhs, Yaroslava Shvedova and Kamila Kerimbayeva, were pretty sharp in winning their singles matches for the combined loss of three games against the spirited players from Mongolia.