February W15/W25 ITF tournaments, India (Jhajjar, Gurugram, Bengaluru)

[jayakris]

https://www.itftennis.com/media/7783/20 ... -table.pdf

The points for the W15 level is ridiculously low compared to the next level up.

I also felt it was ridiculous, but now I also think that it is deliberately kept low -- so that a lot of the higher-ranked players would skip it and those below 1000 will have a chance to get a start on the pro tour with a few W15s qualies and main draws and then go to W25 qualies. There was a time when WTA rankings did not fall below 1000 and it was very difficult to get going, for many players. Now they have these events, and also ITF rankings which give points for qualifying into W15s.

Though I blamed Sahaja and others for skipping these, they were doing precisely what WTA and ITF wanted them to do - which was to play W25s or above and stay out of the way of the lower players. Though not great from their own standpint, they were making a bit of a sacrifice, so to say. Only the desperate ones among the top-800 who badly needed some of these points to make it into W25s later, who felt they were at the level of easily making SFs or better in W15s were expected to play here. That worked out fine. We had two players of that quality (Vaidehi, Zeel).

It also got Sandeepti started, out of nowhere. She got a chance to even play. Actually Sandeepti would not have even made the qualies of a W25 event -- like at Bengaluru this week, where the qualies cut itself was at around 1200. She will now be able to play Q mostly anywhere for W25s (after Mar 6th when all 12 points will be in her kitty)

So the system works, I suppose! It is a bit unfair to the top 3 or 4 who probably played tennis at a higher level than the points they got from the three-week Delhi area "circuit" . But it was really useful for a lot of struggling players below who could still pursue their dream. Like Mihika for instance, and the many foreigners who came for this and left with 2 to 10 points after 3 weeks. Even that would help later.

[jayakris]

If there was a wildcard to somebody else, my guess would be Sravya. She is mostly in Bangalore, right?

I think she used to train at the Rohan Bopanna tennis academy along with Sharmada (who was also working part time there). I will be surprised if she gets a wildcard, considering Sharmada herself didn’t get one.

Sravya is at the Monastir W15 anyway. Playing qualies with a wildcard.

[jayakris]

So Sandeepti seems to have decided not to play the Bengaluru W25. I am pretty sure she would have got an SE spot otherwise. The WCs went to Sahaja, Soha, Shrivalli and Sowjanya. Vaidehi is an SE. Along with Ankita, Karman and Rituja, that makes it 8 players in the main draw.

Humera gave a it a go against Sekulic but lost 63 26 [2-10] in final qualies.

[Dinesh]

Karman is not playing. Humera takes her spot as lucky loser. I don’t understand our (top) players’ scheduling sometimes.

[jayakris]

Karman is not playing. Humera takes her spot as lucky loser. I don’t understand our (top) players’ scheduling sometimes.

Oh damnit. Is she injured or something? What happened? Why didn't she withdraw earlier if it was not something in the last minute? That would have put Sahaja in the main draw and Zeel could have got a wildcard. This is maddening.

I assume she jut fell ill or something... Karman just cannot get going on the tour. I was so happy after the Canada title and now it has been so many months of inaction. Still missing events.

[sameerph]

Must have been a last minute thing. If I am not mistaken I had read articles that Karman was practicing in Bangalore. Hope no serious injury in practice or something. Just when she seems ready to go up she gets injured.

So, someone whom I had considered player with a best chance is already out. Now upto Ankita do some good work.

[jayakris]

Well, Karman was supposed to play Sahaja in the first round. Sahaja now gets Humera instead... If she advances, she will probably get Priska Nugroho...

Only Ankita vs Erika Sema, and Shrivalli vs (6) Misaki Matsuda are on Tuesday's singles schedule for Indians. Rutuja, Vaidehi, Sowjanya, Soha, Sahaja and Humera play only on Wednesday.

[jayakris]

Walk in the park for Ankita today, against a former top-120 player.

[R1] (3) Ankita Raina (IND,241) d. Erika Sema (JPN,401), 61 64

But Shrivalli couldn't do much after some even tennis in the first few games.

[R1] (WC) Shrivalli Rashmikaa Bhamidipaty (IND,707) l. (6) Misaki Matsuda (JPN,289), 46 16

So three Indians played Japanese players today. Sumit and Ankita won, and Shrivalli lost. 2-1 on the Japanese today with one upset. Not bad

[jayakris]

Wow, two nice upsets today! Especially Viadehi's big win.

[R1] Rutuja Bhosale (IND,418) d. Diana Marcinkevica (LAT,388), 63 64
[R1] Vaidehi Chaudhari (IND,522) d. (4) Dalila Jakupovic (SLO,243), 75 64

We will have one more Indian in the R2. Surprise there too, as lucky loser Humera is leading Sahaja 63 11 right now. It is one ace and 11 double faults by Sahaja so far. So the problem we had identified some 4 months ago has just not been fixed. Getting a second serve in. How can any player serve that many double faults? Just get that second serve across. It cannot be this hard. Is any coach helping in fixing this problem? She is broken again to 36 12. I cannot imagine how a player can serve 12 double faults in 6 service games. 2 per game!... Then she went on a run, forced a couple of breaks, and served no DFs to lead 4-2, 40-15... Here come FOUR double faults, and she drops serve again, to 4-3 on serve. 16 DFs. It makes no sense. Humera just needs to stand across the net and get the points. Sahaja broke again to 5-3, and served off the set, but only after saving a BP and serving 2 more DFs (18 in 9 service games). 36 63 00 ... Sahaja may win the match but this is not how tennis should be played. I am going to go to sleep... Well, I didn't, and Sahaja lost. There were medical time-outs at the end of the second set and at 2-5 in the third when Sahaja was to serve. Not sure if it was Sahaja who needed it. Humera gets a big win! All credits to her for doing the job and holding serve when it counted.

[R1] (LL) Humera Baharmus (IND,848) d. Sahaja Yamalapalli (IND,456), 63 36 62

One more match to go. Wildcard Soha Sadiq (IND,1258) against Silva Eden (GBR,302). Tough match for Soha.

[PKBasu]

Sahaja paying the price for skipping the last 2 weeks in Jhajjar and Gurugram. I thought it was a mistake then, and am just reinforced in my view now.
Great run by Vaidehi in particular for the 3rd consecutive week. What a fabulous win over the former world #69. Nice to Rutuja beat a foreign player as well (someone who plays quite a lot in India).

[sameerph]

Wow, two nice upsets today! Especially Viadehi's big win.

[R1] Rutuja Bhosale (IND,418) d. Diana Marcinkevica (LAT,388), 63 64
[R1] Vaidehi Chaudhari (IND,522) d. (4) Dalila Jakupovic (SLO,243), 75 64
[R1] (LL) Humera Baharmus (IND,848) d. Sahaja Yamalapalli (IND,456), 63 36 62

One more match to go. Wildcard Soha Sadiq (IND,1258) against Silva Eden (GBR,302). Tough match for Soha.

Excellent win by Vaidehi over a top 250 player, best of her career so far. Decent win for Rutuja too,

Soha and Sowjanya lost in first round.

[R1] (WC) Soha Sadiq (IND,1258) l. Silva Eden (GBR,302) 26 16
[R1] (WC) Sowjanya Bavisetti (IND,618) l. (Q) Emily Welker (GER,616) 16 64 04 retd.


So, 4 Indians in last 16.

[R2] Rutuja Bhosale (IND,418) vs. (1) Valentini Grammatikopoulou (GRE,197)

[R2] (LL) Humera Baharmus (IND,848) vs. Dea Herdzelas (BIH,365)

[R2] (3) Ankita Raina (IND,241) vs. Misaki Doi (JPN,306)

[R2] Vaidehi Chaudhari (IND,522) vs. (Q) Eri Shimizu (JPN,479)

[Dinesh]

Tough matches for all 4 players. Only hoping Vaidehi to deliver an upset win again. Misaki Doi is a former top-30 WTA player who’s struggling to keep up her level but I doubt Ankita stands a chance. Happy to be proven wrong

[PKBasu]

Rutuja marginally ahead at 3-2 (on serve) in the final set against the top seed!

[R2] Rutuja Bhosale (IND,418) vs. (1) Valentini Grammatikopoulou (GRE,197) 26 75 57

Serving at 2-3, Valentini is down 15-40 (two BPs for Rutuja), 30-40, Deuce Ad-out (another BP), Deuce, Ad-out again, Broken!! 4-2
Rutuja went from 30-15 to 30-40 (BP against), saved for Deuce, but then got broken 4-3
4-4. And Rutuja is down 3 BPs at 0-40. 15-40. 30-40, broken 4-5
She broke back for 5-5, but then lost the next two games. She was up 4-2 in the final set, then lost 3 games in a row, got one back, but then was broken again. Good fight, but no cigar

[sameerph]

Looks like Rutuja broke back at that point but then got broken back again and the the top seed held to close out the match.

[R2] Rutuja Bhosale (IND,418) l. (1) Valentini Grammatikopoulou (GRE,197) 26 75 57

Very close loss for Rutuja and she was up 4-2 in the third set but could not close out for win.

Humera lost in a one sided match.

[R2] (LL) Humera Baharmus (IND,848) l. Dea Herdzelas (BIH,365) 26 26

[PKBasu]

Ankita down 1-4 in the first set against former world number 30 Masaki Doi. Come on Ankita, fight back!