Ankita vanquishes higher ranked Russian rival to advance

Ankita Raina kept the home country interest alive in singles in the USD 125,000 L&T Mumbai Open by vanquishing her higher ranked Russian opponent Veronika Kudermetova in straight sets to advance to the second round here today.
The 24-year-old Ahmedabad-born Ankita, ranked 293 currently, pulled off a surprise but well-deserving 7-6(2), 6-3 victory in one hour and 35 minutes over the 233rd-ranked Veronika to move into the round of sixteen for a meeting with Thailand's Peangtarn Plipuech.
The 25-year-old Thai, ranked 244, upset sixth seeded Australian opponent, 19-year-old Lizette Cabrera (ranking 151), 7-6(4), 6-2 in another first round match.
Ankita, for long the India number one, is the lone Indian left in the singles draw after the elimination of three other wild card recipients - Karman Kaur Thandi, Zeel Desai and Rutuja Bhosale - in first round encounters on the first two days of the WTA series event being held at the CCI courts.

It was also the second time that the Pune-based Ankita had reached the second round of a 125K WTA series event after having done so earlier in 2015 in China.
Ankita, in fact, could have won in much easier fashion had she not blown up a 5-1 lead in the opening set after holding a handy 4-0 lead early on by breaking the Russian's serve twice with some attacking play.

The Indian player, with five ITF singles titles under her belt, was broken as she was serving for the first set in the seventh game and dropped her serve again in the ninth to help the Russian, who was struggling to hold her service games, gain a toe-hold into the set.

Veronika held her serve to make it 5-all before the set was decided in the tie-break in which the Indian took an early mini-break and did not let the opportunity slip by. She won it quite comfortably. The opening set lasted 55 minutes.
Ankita's coach Hemant Bendre came into the court to have a chat with her before she clinched the opening set.
Pumping herself up vocally, Ankita raised her game and after deuce was called seven times broke her rival's serve on her fifth break point to go 2-1 up in the second set.
Ankita broke her opponent again in the fifth game, suffered a brief dip in form as she dropped her serve in the next before pulling up her socks and broke Veronika again in the 9th game as the Russian committed a double fault and then hit a forehand long.

"I think I slowed down a bit in those two games. She attacked, but I came back strongly," said Ankita about the brief stutter in the first set when she was in a dominant position.
"I just told myself to believe in myself. The coach also said the same thing - to keep my speed and to be patient and wait for opportunity. I play an aggressive game. But the balls (newly introduced by ITF) become heavier when they become older. The courts were also a bit slow and I like faster courts," said Ankita. "
"I want to increase the power in my shots and have consistency and patience as rallies are long on these slower courts," she said, adding she plays better "when I become vocal."

"I have won a round in a 125K earlier in 2015 in China," she said. '
Results: WC Ankita Raina (IND) bt Veronika Kudermetova (RUS) 7-6(2) 6-3; Junri Namigata (JPN) bt Olga Ianchuk (UKR) 6-1 5-4 (RET); Peangtarn Plipuech (THA) bt Lizette Cabrera (AUS) 7-6(4) 6-2.