ZEEL DESAI CAUGHT ON SLOW CLAY IN FINAL

Fourth seeded Zeel Desai was beaten 6-1, 3-6, 6-1 by fifth seed Maria Joao Koehler of Portugal in the final of the $15,000 ITF women’s tennis tournament in Guimaraes on Sunday.

She had earlier lost the doubles final in partnership with Cristina Ene of Romania.

The fact that the singles final was moved from outdoor hard courts to indoor clay, owing to rain, did not help Zeel, who still managed to make a fight of it.

The 19-year-old Zeel had won a singles title in the professional circuit last year in Gwalior, and has three doubles titles, won in the last three years.

The results:

$15,000 ITF women, Guimaraes, Portugal
Singles (final): Maria Joao Koehler (Por) bt Zeel Desai 6-1, 3-6, 6-1.

Doubles (final): Karola Patricia Bejenaru (Rou) & Jacqueline Cabaj Awad (Swe) bt Cristina Ene (Rou) & Zeel Desai 6-1, 6-0.