October 12: If one missed the qualifying rounds, which were scrapped due to high rate of drop outs, then the first round matches of the UN Mehta ITF women's circuit tournament were no different. With the let down in quality control, most of the matches were one-sided and for the better ranked players it was just another knock under the hot humid conditions on the deco surface of the AGETA courts.It really required a long hard look at the day's results if one wished to see a silver lining. But it certainly did - the optimism came from the Ahmedabad's Niyati Shetty and Jinal Patel, who cake walked into the main draw thanking absenteeism. Niyati knocked out main draw player Tarminder Grover of Amritsar 6-0, 6-1 while Jinal defeated co-qualifier, Pune's Vrushali Gawankar 6-0, 6-2. Niyati, a product of AGETA's Tennis Academy and trained by coach VK Rawat since last three years, said her error-prone rival made things easier for her.The Ahmedabad Day at AGETA continued as the city's better known playersNikita Bhardwaj and Karishma Patel were at home against lesser opponents. Nikita lost just five games in the match against Reetu Sethi while things were much more simpler for Karishma - who lost three in two sets against Mumbai's Juthika Chokshi.But the local boom looks to be short-lived. Niyati next faces top seed Archana Venkatraman; Jinal takes on eighth seed Shruti Dhawan; Nikita is up against fourth seeded Orawan Wongkamalasai of Thailand and Karishma clashes with sixth seed Rushmi Chakravarthi.Though Karishma has never faced the Bangalore girl, but she rates her chances well. Not ready to quote any odds, she stated the obvious - if I play well I can win.In the only `contest' of the day, Shruti Dhawan was extended to three sets by Shalini Thakur and Thailand's Montika Anuchan managing to quell a second set fightback by Trishna Williams.Results (first round):Niyati Shetty bt Tarminder Grover 6-0, 6-1; Jinal Patel bt Vrushali Gawankar 6-0, 6-2; Shruti Dhawan bt Shalini Thakur 5-7,6-1, 6-0; Shweta Ravji bt Milauni Vibhakar 6-7 (5-7), 6-0, 6-1; Sadiya Pathan bt Stutti Smit 6-0, 6-2; Arthi Venkatraman bt Neha Bharadwaj 6-0, 6-0; Montika Anuchan bt Trishna Williams 6-0, 7-6 (9-7); Tara Kamrgimath bt Radhika Ravji 6-0, 6-1; Nikita Bharadwaj 6-3, 6-2; Rushmi Chakravarthi bt Gautham Sheetal 6-0, 6-2; Karishma Patel bt Juthika Chokshi 6-1, 6-2; Priyanka Contractor bt Pooja Deshmukh 6-3, 6-2.
