Tumakuru, May 9 (PTI) India’s Vaidehee Chaudhari bowed out in the semifinals of the ITF W35 after going down fighting to top seed Justina Mikulskyte here on Saturday.
In the second semifinal, India’s Zeel Desai was forced to retire despite leading against Poland’s Zuzanna Pawlikowska.
Lithuania’s Justina ended Vaidehee’s impressive run with a hard-fought 6-3, 2-6, 6-2 victory to set up a summit clash with second seed Zuzanna, who also survived a dramatic semifinal encounter.
Justina struck the decisive break in the sixth game of the opening set before Vaidehee roared back strongly in the second, breaking in the fourth, sixth and eighth games to level the match convincingly.
However, Justina regained control in the deciding set with early breaks in the first and fifth games, using her experience and consistency to close out the contest and book her place in the final.
Both players struck two aces each, while Vaidehee committed five double faults against Justina’s three.
In the second semifinal, Zeel had edged a gripping opening set in a tense tiebreak 11-9 and was leading 2-1 in the second set when severe cramps brought her impressive run to a painful end.
The Indian, who had battled through multiple marathon matches earlier in the tournament, took a medical timeout but struggled to even stand on court as the physical toll finally caught up with her.
The doubles final also could not be completed after Pawlikowska’s shoulder injury forced her and Vaidehee to withdraw from the title clash. As a result, the pair of Ksenia Laskutova and Elina Nepliy were declared champions. PTI APS APS ATK
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