Top-seed Brenda Fruhvirtova overcame a treacherous start to defeat India’s Ankita Raina 0-6, 6-4, 6-0 in the singles final of the KPB Trust ITF Women’s Open at the KSLTA Stadium here on Sunday.
Brenda, 15, found herself in deep trouble at 0-6, 0-3. The Czech Republic player struggled to adjust to Ankita’s lack of power in her groundstrokes, losing shape and hitting her shots long or into the net.
Ankita’s game plan looked good enough to secure the biggest title win of her career, until Brenda found her rhythm. Crushing backhands, Brenda’s best weapon, found every corner of the court, as Ankita wilted under the incessant pressure.
On her early troubles, Brenda said, “The movement was not there; the shots were not there. Nothing was going my way. Mentally, it got hard for me. I couldn’t do anything. So I just kept trying, and somehow got into my flow.” India has proven to be a lucky destination for the Fruhvirtova family, as Brenda’s sister Linda had won the 2022 WTA Chennai Open. “Before coming to Bengaluru, Linda told me that this is a lucky place, and that I could be successful here. I believed it,” Brenda said.
Ankita, who thrived on the support of a sizeable crowd, got off the blocks with a bang. She showed great court coverage, running at full tilt to easily reach Brenda’s drop shots. Ankita kept the ball in play from the baseline, forcing a frustrated Brenda to make errors. The 30-year-old Indian, however, went flat after losing the second set.
Brenda won $6,094, while Ankita received $3,257. K.P. Balaraj, the founder of KPB Family Trust, Sunil Yajaman, Joint Secretary of KSLTA,and Shruthi Iyer, Mrs India Universe 2021, attended the prizedistribution function.
Comments
SHARE