Pune: Balu shocks fifth seeded Imamura in qualifying opener of NECC Deccan ITF Women’s Tennis  

Pune, 19th December 2021: Seasoned Sharmada Balu of India shocked fifth seeded Saki Imamura of Japan 6-3, 6-1 to move onto the second round qualifying at the 20th edition of the NECC Deccan ITF $25000 Women’s Tennis Tournament organised under the auspices of the ITF, AITA and MSLTA by Deccan Gymkhana and sponsored by National Egg Coordination Committee (NECC) and being played at the Deccan Gymkhana Tennis Courts

In other minor upset, local Wildcard Ishwari Matere got the better of 15th seeded Shria Atturu of USA 6-1, 6-2.

Top-seeded Clara Vlasselaer of Belgium, second-seeded Jennifer Luikham of India third-seeded So-Ra Lee of Korea, fourth-seeded Sathwika Sama, sixth-seeded Weronika Baszak of Poland, seventh-seeded Shrivalli Rashmikaa Bhamidipaty and eighth Elena Jamshidi of Denmark were the other players to move effortlessly into the second round of the qualifying

Following are the results: First Qualifying Round: Women’s:

Clara Vlasselaer(BEL)[1] bt Bela Tamhankar (IND) 6-0, 6-1;

Weronika Baszak(POL)[6] bt (WC) Sameeksha Shroff(IND) 6-1, 6-1;

Ramya Natarajan (IND) [10] bt Prathiba Narayan Prasad(IND) 6-2, 6-1;

Jennifer Luikham (IND) [2] bt Sonashe Bhatnagar(IND) 6-2, 6-1;

(WC) Ishwari Matere (IND) bt Shria Atturu(USA)[15] 6-1, 6-2;

Nidhi Chilumula(IND)[11] bt Sarah Pang (SGP) 6-0, 6-1;

So-Ra Lee (KOR) [3] bt (WC) Sai Dedeepya Yeddula(IND) 6-1, 6-0;

Sathwika Sama (IND) [4] bt (WC) Ira Shah(IND) 6-2, 6-0;

Arthi Muniyan (IND) [16] bt Yashika Venu (IND) 6-2, 6-4;

Elena Jamshidi (DEN) [8] bt (WC) Rutuja Chaphakar (USA) 7-5, 6-1;

Sharmada Balu(IND) bt Saki Imamura (JPN)[5] 6-3, 6-1;

Soha Sadiq (IND)[9] bt Smriti Bhasin (IND) 7-6(5), 6-3;

Shrivalli Rashmikaa Bhamidipaty (IND) [7] bt Pooja Ingale(IND) 6-1, 6-3;

Humera Baharmus(IND)[12] bt Niditra Rajmohan (IND) 6-1, 6-2;

Shreya Tatavarthy(IND) [13] bt Aaliya Ebrahim (IND) 6-3, 6-0.