Indian tennis enjoyed a strong day at the ITF W35 Kalaburagi as Vaishnavi Adkar and Ankita Raina produced commanding performances to reach the singles semifinals before teaming up to book a place in the doubles final.
Playing at the Chandrashekhar Patil Stadium, the two Indian players dominated their respective quarterfinal matches on Friday before combining effectively in the doubles semifinals to keep Indian hopes alive in multiple draws.
Adkar Continues Impressive Singles Run
Third seed Vaishnavi Adkar delivered a composed and aggressive performance to defeat Elina Nepliy 6-1, 6-3 in the singles quarterfinal. Adkar asserted control early in the match, using sharp groundstrokes to dictate the tempo. She broke Nepliy in the second game and quickly surged to a 3-0 lead, finding excellent depth with both her forehand and backhand.
Nepliy attempted to disrupt the rhythm with drop shots and longer rallies, but Adkar remained unfazed. The Indian maintained pressure from the baseline and forced errors from her opponent to extend the lead to 4-0. Although Nepliy managed to hold serve once late in the set, Adkar wrapped up the opener comfortably 6-1 with another strong service game.
The second set followed a similar pattern. Adkar again broke early and backed it up with a solid hold to establish control.
Nepliy briefly fought back midway through the set, capitalising on a few service errors from Adkar to break and reduce the deficit to 4-2. However, the Indian responded immediately with a series of crisp backhand winners to regain the break and move ahead 5-2. Even though Nepliy managed to prolong the contest with another break after a long deuce battle, Adkar quickly regained her composure and closed the match 6-3 with confident returning and strong baseline play.
The victory ensured Adkar a place in the semifinals and continued her impressive run at the tournament.
Eighth seed Ankita Raina followed with an equally commanding performance, defeating Evgeniya Burdina 6-0, 6-2.
Raina started aggressively, breaking Burdina in the opening game by forcing errors through deep baseline rallies. The Russian struggled to find rhythm as unforced errors and double faults allowed Raina to extend her lead rapidly. With consistent pressure from the baseline, Raina surged to a 3-0 advantage before pushing further ahead to 5-0. Burdina briefly paused for a medical timeout but could not halt Raina’s momentum.
The Indian sealed the opening set 6-0 with ease, displaying complete control of the rallies.
The second set began with both players exchanging breaks, but Burdina continued to struggle with consistency. Raina capitalised on the Russian’s mistakes and broke again in the fifth game. This time she consolidated the break with a strong service hold to take a 4-2 lead.
Maintaining control from the baseline, Raina pushed the score to 5-2 and closed out the match in the eighth game after creating three match points. Burdina eventually sent a return long, handing the Indian the victory and a place in the semifinals.
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Later in the day, Adkar and Raina combined forces in the doubles semifinals and produced a strong performance to defeat Sonal Patil and Bela Tamhankar 7-6(5), 6-2. The opening set proved to be a tightly contested affair with both pairs holding serve consistently. Neither side managed to create a decisive break opportunity, forcing the set into a tiebreak.
Adkar and Raina held their nerve in the tiebreak, using effective net play and solid returning to edge ahead and secure the set. Having taken the early advantage, the Indian pair raised their level in the second set. Their aggressive positioning at the net and strong baseline support helped them control the rallies.
They soon broke their opponents’ serve and maintained momentum to comfortably seal the set 6-2, booking their place in the doubles final.
The doubles final will now feature an all-Indian clash after Akanksha Dileep Nitture and Soha Sadiq staged a remarkable comeback in the other semifinal. The pair defeated Sravya Shivani Chilakalapudi and Japan’s Michika Ozeki 6-7(7), 6-0, [10-5].
After narrowly losing the opening set in a tiebreak, Nitture and Sadiq produced a dominant response, taking the second set 6-0 before completing the comeback in the match tiebreak. Their victory ensures that the doubles title in Kalaburagi will be decided between Indian teams.
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With Adkar and Raina advancing to the singles semifinals and reaching the doubles final together, Indian tennis has enjoyed a highly successful day at the tournament. The performances underline the growing depth in the country’s women’s tennis circuit, with several players making deep runs in international events.
As the tournament enters its final stages, Adkar and Raina will look to continue their momentum in both singles and doubles. For the two Indians, the opportunity now exists to cap a memorable week in Kalaburagi with multiple titles.
