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Maaya’s fairytale continued as she got the better of Mei Yamaguchi 6-4 3-6 6-2 to reach the final four of the women’s event in Mumbai. Holders Ramanathan and Myneni moved into the final with their 7-6 (5), 7-6 (8) win over Ray Ho and Matthew…Read More
Maaya Rajeshwaran. (X)
India’s Maaya Rajeshwaran continued her dream run, progressing to the women’s singles semifinal of the L&T Mumbai Open WTA 125 Series on Friday.
Hailing from Coimbatore, and trained by R Manoj Kumar, Rajeshwaran saw off the challenge from Mei Yamaguchi of Japan with a 6-4 3-6 6-2 win in the quarterfinals.
She is now the only Indian in contention for the top prize in the singles draw and will take on Jil Teichmann of Switzerland in the semifinal on Saturday.
Rajeshwaran had a rocky start, trailing 1-3 after four games but made an incredible comeback and won the last three games on the trot to claim the first set 6-4.
The second set saw Yamaguchi fight hard for every point in an extremely tight contest. The score was 3-3 after which the Japanese stepped up to bring the contest to level terms.
Yamaguchi continued her winning ways in the first game of the final set but the narrative and momentum changed quite quickly.
Rajeshwaran stunned her opponent by winning the next five games on the trot to take a commanding lead.
Rajeshwaran served five aces and saved seven of her 12 break points during the course of three sets. Her cross court shots and swift movement on the baseline stood out as she clinched the affair after winning the final set 6-2.
India’s Shrivalli Bhamidipaty lost 2-6 2-6 against Teichmann in her quarterfinal match in the afternoon.
In doubles draw, it was mixed results for India, as Prarthana Thombare and Arianne Hartono defeated Eden Silva and Anastasia Tikhonova 2-6 6-4 10-2 in the semifinal to make it to the title clash for the second year running.
But it was a tough day at the office for Rutuja Bhosale and Alicia Barnett, who were outplayed by second seeds Elena Pridankina and Amina Anshba 4-6 3-6 in another quarterfinal.
In another doubles match, Camilla Rosatello and Nicole Fossa Huergo of Italy beat Shrivalli Rashmikaa Bhamidipaty and Riya Bhatia 6-3 6-3 to progress to the semifinals.
Results:
Singles: Maaya Rajeshwaran bt Mei Yamaguchi 6-4 3-6 6-2; Rebecca Marino bt Mai Hontama 6-3 6-4; Mananchaya Sawangkaew bt Lanlana Tararudee 7-5 3-6 6-2; Jil Teichmann bt Shrivalli Bhamidapaty 6-2 6-2.
Doubles: Arianne Hartono & Prarthana Thombare bt Eden Silva & Tikhonova Anastasia 2-6 6-4 10-2; Amina Anshba & Elena Pridankina bt Alicia Barnett & Rutuja Bhosale 6-4 6-3; Nicole Fossa Huergo & Camilla Rosatello bt Shrivalli Bhimadipaty & Riya Bhatia 6-3 6-3.
Chennai Open
Defending champions Ramkumar Ramanathan and Saketh Myneni entered the doubles final of the Chennai Open ATP Challenger with a hard-fought win over top seeds Ray Ho and Matthew Christopher Romios.
The third seeded Indian pair registered a 7-6 (5), 7-6 (8) victory over their rivals from Taipei and Australia.
They will face unseeded Japanese duo of Shintaro Mochizuki and Kaito Uesugi, a 4-6, 6-4, 10-6 winners over second seeded Indians Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan and Vijay Sundar Prashanth, for the title.
Earlier, Ramkumar and Saketh saved a set point in the second set tie-break before emerging winners on their third match point.
In the singles, top seed Billy Harris of Britain advanced to the last four with a 6-3, 7-6 (6) win over Kazakhstan’s Timofey Skatov.
The Kazakh player put up a brave fight in the second set, saving match points in the 10th and 12th games and even held a set point before Harris came through in just over two-and-a-half hours.
Harris will meet Sweden’s Elias Ymer on Saturday. The Swede scored a comfortable 6-2 6-3 win over Japan’s Rio Noguchi.
Czech Dalibor Svrcina and France’s Kyrian Jacquet will face off in the other semi-final.
Svrcina had an easy passage into the semifinals with a 6-3, 6-0 win over Ukraine’s Oleksandr Ovcharenko.
Jacquet came from 2-4 down in the final set and saved a match point against fifth seed Shintaro Mochizuki before eventually scoring a 6-1 4-6, 7-6 win.
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI)
