Vaidehee Chaudhari And Zeel Desai Reach ITF W35 Tumakuru Semifinals

Vaidehee Chaudhari and Zeel Desai moved into the singles semi-finals of the ITF W35 Tumakuru Open. Both Indians won tough three-set quarter-finals at the Tumakuru District Tennis Courts. Top seed Justina Mikulskyte and second seed Zuzanna Pawlikowska also reached the last four. The doubles final line-up was confirmed on the same day.

The singles semi-finals pair Vaidehee against Mikulskyte, while Desai faces Pawlikowska. In doubles, Vaidehee and Pawlikowska advanced with a straight-sets win. Ksenia Laskutova and Elina Nepliy claimed the other final place. The last-four field in singles featured the top four seeds, setting up two high-ranked ties.

Fourth seed Zeel Desai edged Arina Arifullina 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 in two hours 52 minutes. Desai broke first in the opening set’s seventh game. Arifullina responded by breaking in the eighth and 10th games. That swing handed Arifullina the first set despite Desai’s early advantage.

The second set saw repeated breaks and short holds. Desai stayed steady late in the set. Desai broke in the ninth game to level the match. The deciding set began with Arifullina breaking in the first game. Desai replied with an immediate break in the second, keeping the finish close.

A key third game stretched through seven deuce-advantage passages. Desai faced a break point and escaped to hold serve. With a tie-break looming, Desai struck in the 12th game for the winning break. Desai hit two aces and made nine double faults. Arifullina served five aces.

Third seed Vaidehee Chaudhari beat sixth seed Ekaterina Yashina 6-4, 6-7(5), 7-5 in two hours 40 minutes. Chaudhari attacked early and broke in the third game. Another break came in the seventh after Yashina double-faulted on the fourth break point. A late break helped Chaudhari take the first set.

Yashina lifted the tempo in set two and moved 3-0 ahead. Chaudhari pulled one break back in the seventh game and forced a tie-break. Yashina took the breaker 7-5 to draw level. In the final set, Yashina broke early again. Chaudhari recovered with breaks in the eighth and 12th games.

ITF W35 Tumakuru Open: Other singles results and doubles finalists

Justina Mikulskyte recovered from losing the first set to beat Ksenia Laskutova 5-7, 6-0, 6-2. Zuzanna Pawlikowska rallied after a slow start against Elina Nepliy, winning 1-6, 7-5, 3-0 before Nepliy retired. In doubles, Chaudhari and Pawlikowska dominated their semi-final, as did Laskutova and Nepliy.

The full results from the quarter-finals and doubles semi-finals are listed below.

The ITF W35 Tumakuru Open now heads into its final weekend with seeded players still in singles. Chaudhari and Desai kept the home presence active in the last four. Mikulskyte and Pawlikowska also progressed after testing matches. In doubles, Chaudhari and Pawlikowska meet Laskutova and Nepliy for the title.