20th edition of ITF Women’s Tennis Tournament to commence in Pune

The 20th edition of the NECC Deccan ITF $25,000 Women’s Tennis Tournament will be held in a bio-bubble at the Deccan Gymkhana courts in Pune from December 19 to 25. It is one of India’s longest running international tennis tournaments organised under the International Tennis Federation (ITF), All India Tennis Association (AITA) and Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association (MSLTA), and sponsored by the National Egg Coordination Committee (NECC).

Top women tennis players from 15 countries will be seen in action in the week-long tournament. Seasoned players like Pranjala Yadlapalli and recent winner of the Solapur leg Rutuja Bhosale, along with upcoming players like Karman Kaur Thandi and Zeel Desai, are some of the Indians part of the tournament.

The ITF has designated Sheetal Iyer as the supervisor for this tournament.

“The event has been held yearly since 2001. It was a US$10,000 event till 2005 and was upgraded to $25,000 in 2006-2008. In 2009, it was a $50,000 event to celebrate 10 years. Since 2010, it has been a $25,000 event. This year, we are celebrating 20 years of the tournament but we have subdued our celebrations as the event will be held in a bio-bubble due to Covid protocols,” said Ashwin Girme, the tournament director.