Riya Bhatia survives four match points to beat Rutuja Bhosale

Riya Bhatia saved four match points to outwit compatriot Rutuja Bhosale 4-6, 7-6(5), 7-5 in the semifinals of the $25,000 ITF women’s tennis tournament in Lagos, Nigeria, on Saturday.

In a battle of wits that lasted three hours and nine minutes, Riya turned the match around in the seconnd set tie-break. There was only one break of serve in the first two sets, at the start in the first game when Riya dropped serve after saving six breakpoints.

In the decider, it was Rutuja who held the upper hand as she raced to a 5-2 lead. Riya saved two match points each in the ninth and tenth games, to be on par and swept the last two games, by dropping only two points thereafter.

This was the first meeting between the two former national champions in the international professional circuit.

Riya, who grappled with 13 double faults, won 126 points in the match, one less than Rutuja. While Riya converted four breakpoints out of seven, Rutuja converted four break points out of 20.

In the final, the 22-year-old Riya was scheduled to play the fourth seed Nastja Kolar of Slovenia.

Rutuja Bhosale won her second successive doubles title and the third of the season, as she in partnership with Laura Pigossi of Brazil beat Sandra Samir and Prarthana Thomabre 10-6 in the super tie-break.

Meanwhile, in the $100,000 ITF women’s event in Suzhou, China, Ankita Raina in partnership with Rosalie van der Hoek of the Netherlands was beaten 3-6, 6-3, 10-5 in the doubles final, against the Chinese Xinyu Jiang and Qianhui Tang.

Ankita said that her partner had pulled a hamstring muscle early in the second set, but fought on bravely till the end.
In the $25,000 ITF men’s Futures in Nigeria, Aryan Goveas and William Bushamuka finished runner-up to the Lock brothers of Zimbabwe, Benjamin and Courtney John.

The results:
$100,000 ITF women, Suzhou, China
Doubles (final): Xinyu Jiang & Qianhui Tang (CHN) bt Rosalie van der Hoek (NED) & Ankita Raina 3-6, 6-3, [10-5].

$25,000 ITF men, Lagos, Nigeria
Doubles (final): Benjamin Lock & Courtney John Lock (ZIM) bt Wiliam Bushamuka (US) & Aryan Goveas 6-4, 6-4; Semifinals: William Bushamuka (US) & Aryan Goveas bt Michael-John Every (CUW) & Eric Vanshelboim (UKR) 6-2, 6-1.

$25,000 ITF women, Lagos, Nigeria
Singles (semifinals): Riya Bhatia bt Rutuja Bhosale 4-6, 7-6(5), 7-5.

Doubles (final): Laura Pigossi (BRA) & Rutuja Bhosale bt Sandra Samir (eEGY) & Prarthana Thombare 6-3, 6-7(3), 10-6; Semifinals: Laura Pigossi (BRA) & Rutuja Bhosale bt Sada Nahimana (BDI) & Lexie Stevens (NED) 6-1, 1-0 (retired); Sandra Samir (EGY) & Prarthana Thombare bt Tamara Curovic (SRB) & Valeriya Strakhova (UKR) 4-6, 7-5, [10-7].

(Courtesy: The Hindu)