ITF W50: Ankita Aims for First Doubles Title in 9 Months
Click to start listening
Synopsis
Ankita Raina and partner Naiktha Bains advance to the ITF W50 doubles finals after defeating Riya Bhatia and Vaidehi Chaudhary. This could be Ankita's first title of 2025 and her first doubles victory since April 2024.
Key Takeaways
- Ankita Raina competes for ITF W50 doubles title
- Defeated Riya Bhatia and Vaidehi Chaudhary
- Last final together in November 2024
- Hopes to reclaim number-one Indian player status
- Strong performances in singles by Darja Semenistaja and Tatiana Prozorova
New Delhi, Jan 17 (NationPress) India's leading singles player Ankita Raina has positioned herself to compete for the title in the doubles category of the ITF W50 tournament alongside her British partner Naiktha Bains on Friday. They triumphed over the all-Indian duo of Riya Bhatia and Vaidehi Chaudhary at the DLTA Complex, securing a victory of 6-2, 6-4 in the semifinals. Ankita, who exited in the first round of the singles, and Naiktha showcased a strong performance to advance.
The duo last reached a final together in November 2024 in Caloundra, Australia, where they finished as runners-up at the ITF W50. Should Ankita claim victory on Saturday, it will mark her first doubles title of the 2025 season and her first since winning at the Kashiwa event in Japan in April of last year, in partnership with Chia Yi Tsao from Chinese Taipei.
Ankita has held the title of India's number-one female tennis player in both singles and doubles since 2018. However, in 2024, she lost her singles title to Sahaja Yamalapalli. This year, the resident of Pune, Maharashtra, originally from Ahmedabad, aims to regain her top-ranking status among Indian players.
In the singles bracket, Latvia's top-seeded Darja Semenistaja and seventh-seeded Tatiana Prozorova have advanced to the semifinals with convincing wins. Darja defeated Anasytasia Tikhonova 6-1, 6-3, while Tatiana ended the strong run of qualifier Maria Kozyreva with a 6-1, 6-1 victory.
From the bottom half, Hungary's second seed Panna Udvardy displayed her experience in a hard-fought match against the talented Laura Samson, winning 4-6, 6-1, 6-4. She now prepares to face Yuriko Lilly Miyazaki, the fourth seed from Britain, who eliminated sixth seed Dalila Jakupovic 6-1, 6-3 in her quarterfinal.
