ITF W35 Kalaburagi set for thrilling main draw as five Indians qualify

The stage is set for an exciting week of women’s tennis at the ITF W35 Kalaburagi, with five Indian players battling through the qualifying rounds to secure spots in the singles main draw of the USD 30,000 tournament.

The main draw ceremony, held on Monday, was attended by senior district officials, underlining the growing stature of the event on the domestic circuit.

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Strong Indian presence in singles

The singles’ main draw promises several compelling opening-round clashes. Third seed Vaishnavi Adkar will face Chevika Reddy Sama, while fifth seed Zeel Desai takes on a qualifier in the top half.

Eighth seed Ankita Raina is set for an all-Indian first-round contest against Sonal Patil, ensuring strong local interest early in the tournament. Fourth seed Shrivalli Rashmikaa Bhamidipaty will begin her campaign against Evgeniya Burdina, while second seed Anchisa Chanta faces Britain’s Allegra Korpanec Davies.

With a mix of Indian seeds and experienced international competitors, the singles draw points to a highly competitive week.

Doubles draw features exciting match-ups

In doubles, top seeds Shrivalli Rashmikaa Bhamidipaty and Jasmijn Gimbrere will open against the Thai pair of Anchisa Chanta and Thasaporn Naklo.

Three Indian pairs, Singdha Kanta and Harshini N Nagaraj, Kashish Bhatia and Vanshita Pathania, and Sreemanya Reddy Anugonda and Sai Samhitha Chamarthi, have received wildcard entries, offering emerging domestic players valuable exposure at the ITF level.

The doubles field blends international experience with rising Indian talent, setting up a competitive week across formats.

Indians shine in qualifying rounds

Earlier on Monday, the qualifying rounds concluded with several Indians fighting for the final eight main-draw berths.

Arunkumar Lakshmi Prabha produced one of the standout performances of the day, defeating top seed Maria Mikhailova 6-2, 3-6, 10-6 in a tense match tie-break. Singapore’s Eva Marie Desvignes, the second seed, cruised past Aahan Aahan 6-0, 6-1.

Third seed Valeria Savinykh beat Saumya Ronde 6-4, 6-1, while Kashish Bhatia impressed in an all-Indian clash, overcoming Mahika Khanna 7-6(4), 6-0.

Aishwarya Jadhav registered a 6-3, 6-3 win over 16th seed Sreemanya Reddy Anugonda. Ninth seed Sandeepthi Singh Rao defeated Snigdha Kanta 6-4, 6-3.

In one of the closest matches, 14th seed Laxmisiri Dandu edged eighth seed Bela Tamhankar 7-5, 3-6, 14-12 in a dramatic tie-break. Seventh seed Anna Sedysheva rounded off the results with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Yashaswini Panwar.

With the main draw now confirmed and a strong Indian contingent in contention, the W35 Kalaburagi promises a week of high-quality and closely fought women’s tennis.