Ankita Raina and Naiktha Bains Secure ITF W50 Doubles Championship
Click to start listening
Synopsis
Ankita Raina and Naiktha Bains claim their first doubles title together at the ITF W50 event, defeating American fourth seeds Jessie Aney and Jessica Failla. Despite an early singles exit, Raina shines in doubles, showcasing resilience and teamwork.
Key Takeaways
- First doubles title for Ankita in nine months.
- Victory against American fourth seeds.
- Match duration was one hour and 42 minutes.
- Last doubles win was in April 2024.
- Strong start with a break in the first game.
New Delhi, Jan 18 (NationPress) India's leading tennis star Ankita Raina celebrated her first doubles victory in nine months, securing the title at the ITF W50 tournament alongside her British partner Naiktha Bains. They triumphed over the American duo of Jessie Aney and Jessica Failla, who were seeded fourth, in a nail-biting final on Saturday.
Despite an early exit in the singles competition, Ankita rebounded by clinching the doubles title with Naiktha, finishing the match 6-4, 3-6, 10-8 after an intense battle lasting one hour and 42 minutes at the DLTA Complex.
Prior to this achievement, Ankita's last doubles win was back in April 2024 at the Kashiwa tournament in Japan, where she partnered with Chia Yi Tsao from Taipei.
In singles, the seventh seed Tatiana Prozorova and second seed Panna Udvardy advanced to the finals earlier that day.
Tatiana defeated the top seed from Latvia, Darja Semenistaja, with a score of 7-5, 6-2, while Panna comfortably overcame the British fourth seed Yuriko Lilly Miyazaki with a 6-3, 6-2 win in the first semifinal.
During the doubles final, the unseeded Indo-British pair broke their opponents in the very first game, with Naiktha finishing the point with a powerful forehand winner.
The match started dominantly for Ankita and Naiktha, who won nine consecutive points, while their American rivals struggled with unforced errors.
A critical half-volley error led to another break point for the Americans, which Naiktha capitalized on with a strong service return, establishing a 3-0 lead.
A backhand slice misfire followed by a double fault gave the Americans a chance to break back, but the unseeded team quickly regained their momentum, with Naiktha smashing an overhead to go 4-1 ahead.
However, Ankita faced challenges as she lost her serve after a forehand error at 30-all, allowing the Americans to narrow the gap to 4-5 after they held their serve in the ninth game.
When Ankita served for the first set, she managed to secure the lead.
In the second set, Ankita faltered first, granting the Americans an early lead. Naiktha faced breakpoints in game four but they maintained parity at 2-2.
Unfortunately, Ankita's serve was broken again in the sixth game, allowing the Americans to take a 4-2 lead. The Americans easily closed out the set, but Ankita and Naiktha rallied to win in the 10-point super tiebreak.
