Zeel Desai in second round
Qualifier Zeel Desai saved a match point to turn the table on another qualifier JIa-Qi Kang of China 1-6, 7-6(6), 4-0 in the first round of the IWTC $25,000 ITF women’s tennis tournament in Navi Mumbai on Wednesday.
Recovering from being 0-2 in the second set and fighting to get back in a long drawn third game on the Chinese serve, Zeel saved the match point at 5-6 in the tie-break to pull through.
The Chinese had an injury issue as well, and retired after losing four games in the third set.
Zeel will play another Chinese, second seed Jia-Jing Lu, who blanked the South Asian Games gold medallist, Sathwika Sama.
Riya Bhatia was the other Indian girl to reach the second round, as she beat Ekaterina Yashina of Russia 6-3, 6-2. She will play sixth seed Peangtarn Plipuech of Thailand.
The results:
Singles (first round): Barbara Haas (AUT) bt Kim Dabin (KOR) 7-6(4), 6-0; Diana Maricnkevica (LAT) bt Nefisa Berberovic (BIH) 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-3; Valeriya Savinykh (RUS) w.o. Kim Na Ri (KOR); Anna Morgina (RUS) bt Victoria Muntean (FRA) 5-7, 6-3, 6-4; Valeriya Strakhova (UKR) bt Akanksha Nitture 6-4, 6-3; Martina Caregaro (ITA) bt Choi Ji-Hee (KOR) 6-2, 6-1; Riya Bhatia bt Ekaterina Yashina (RUS) 6-3, 6-2; Ulrikke Eikeri (NOR) bt Sowjanya Bavisetti 7-5, 6-3; Olga Doroshina (Rus) bt Hiroko Kuwata (JPN) 6-4, 6-2; Miyu Kato (JPN) bt Sandra Samir (EGY) 6-3, 4-6, 6-1; Zeel Desai bt Jia-Qi Kang (CHN) 1-6, 7-6(6), 4-0 (retired); Jia-Jing Lu (CHN) bt Sathwika Sama 6-0, 6-0.
Doubles (pre-quarterfinals):Jeong Sunam & Kim Dabin (KOR) bt Sathwika Sama & Saumya Vig 6-4, 6-2; Alicia Smith (AUS) & Risa Ushijima (JPN) bt Jennifer Luikham & Mihika Yadav 6-1, 6-2; Olga Doroshina (RUS) & Shailmar Talbi (BLR) bt Vaidehi Chaudhari & Zeel Desai 4-6, 6-4, [11-9].
(Courtesy: The Hndu)
