3 Indians enter ITF Pune main draw

Tennis player Rishika Sunkara joined Sharmada Balu and Sowjanya Bavisetti as three Indians made it to the main draw of the NECC-ITF Women's $25,000 event at the Deccan Gymkhana here Sunday.

While top seed Sunkara's progress went on expected lines, Balu and Bavisetti knocked out higher seeds. Balu, seeded 12th in the qualifying draw, got the better of British sixth seed Anna Smith 2-6, 6-1, 6-2. The Karnataka girl played fearless tennis to win despite losing the first set tamely.

Bavisetti, seeded 10th, was quite similar in her win, defeating Armenian fourth seed Ani Amiraghyan 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Sunkara was tested by Vaibhavi Trivedi, the only unseeded player to have made it to the final round of qualifying, but the Delhi girl prevailed over Trivedi 6-4, 7-5.

There was no such drama for Israeli second seed Keren Shlomol, Austrian third seed Janina Toljan, fifth seed Anna Shkudun of Ukraine, eighth seed Kamonwam Buayam and ninth seed Rika Fujiwara of Japan.

The main draw begins Monday. Poland's Magda Linette is the top seed with local girl Ankita Raina (5) being the only seeded Indian player.

Final qualifying round results: Rishika Sunkara bt Vaibhavi Trivedi 6-0, 7-5; Keren Shlomo (ISR) bt Diana Bogoliy (UKR) 6-4, 6-4; Janina Toljan (AUT) bt Sharon Sanchana Paul 6-4, 6-2; Anna Shkudun (UKR) bt Sai Samhitha Chamarthi 6-2, 6-3; Sowjanya Bavisetti bt Ani Amiraghyan (ARM) 4-6, 6-3, 6-4; Sharmada Balu bt Anna Smith (GBR) 2-6, 6-2, 6-1; Rika Fujiwara (JPN) bt Natasha Palha 6-2, 6-1; Kamonwan Buayam (THA) bt Bhuvana Kalva 6-4, 6-4.