Bengaluru, Jan 17 (PTI) Top Indian tennis star Ankita Raina beat Viktoria Morvayova of Slovakia in a closely contested opening round match at the ongoing ITF Women’s Open here on Wednesday.

The eighth-seeded Indian, suffering from a sore throat and stomach cramps, overcame her opponent 1-6, 7-5, 6-1 to move into the pre-quarterfinals.

Ankita, who recently returned following her elimination in the second round of the Australian Open qualifiers, was relatively rusty in the first set, periodically hitting a winner. After struggling to hold her serve in the opening game, the 31-year-old Indian, did play some poor strokes.

Morvayova, who is ranked 200 slots below Ankita, was playing swiftly, grabbing the opportunity and registering a clean sweep, as she won five games in a row to walk away with the opening set.

In the following set, Ankita broke Viktoria’s serve in the first game before being instantly broken back. The 22-year-old Slovakian quickly raced to a 5-1 lead after breaks in the fourth and sixth games.

While serving to save the match, Ankita orchestrated a comeback by breaking her serve and heading on to win the subsequent five games, with breaks in the ninth and 11th games, making it 1-1.

Riding on the newly-found momentum in the final set, Ankita conquered the first four games, thanks to breaks in the opening and third games.

Morvayova lost her temper midway through the set after she thought a ball was out, which was actually was in.

She could only win the seventh game, holding her serve before the Indian wrapped up the set and the match, ending the two hours and 14 minutes clash.

On a good day for the Indians, Rutuja Bhosale and Vaidehi Chaudhary also entered the pre-quarterfinals stage.

Rutuja fought back after losing the first set 0-6 versus Japan’s Eri Shimizu before winning the following two sets 7-5, 7-5. Also, Vaidehi brushed aside the challenge of Greece’s Sapfo Sakellaridi 6-4, 6-2.

In an extremely competitive field, third seed Ekaterina Makarova became the event’s first casualty, suffering a straight-set defeat to Japanese qualifier Naho Sato 5-7, 2-6.

Another Japanese qualifier Mei Yamaguchi later sent seventh seed Sofya Lansere packing, with a 6-2, 6-2 victory.

In the meantime, in the longest match of the day, which continued for three hours and 31 minutes, sixth seed Carole Monnet of France overcame Dejana Radanovic of Serbia 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (9).

In another duel, before Rutuja could take a measure of her opponent, the opening set was over 0-6, thanks to her unsteady serves. The Indian went 3-1 up with a break in the third game.

The 25-year-old Shimizu won the subsequent three games with a break in the sixth game. The Asian Games gold medallist achieved the crucial break in the 11th game before serving out for the set.

In the deciding set, the 27-year-old Indian gained the advantage after an early break in the first game to go 4-2 up. But Shimizu fought back, and with a break in the eighth game, going up 5-4. Rutuja bounced back to win three straight games, taking the set and the match.

Source: PTI News