Seeded players sail into second round

Aarti was leading 3-0 in the first set, with superb ground-strokes and backhand volleys. However, the gritty Tara, hailing from Bangalore, fought back and levelled the score at three each. Aarti held serve in the seventh game and later broke in the eighth to take the lead to5-3. Aarti claimed the first set at 6-4, after Tara committed two net points.

In the second set, Tara, who was trailing, came from behind to level the score at 4-4. She squandered easy points by hitting wide of the court while Aarti, playing cautiously and securing points with brilliant cross court smashes, broke in the 9th game to wind up the match in her favour at 6-4. Unseeded Deepa Engade India prevailed over another unseeded local player Vinita Dixit in marathon three sets 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 to march into the second round.

Deepa had breaks in the second, fourth and sixth games in the first set, to bag the set in her favour at 6-2. In the second set, Vinita hit back with powerful volleys. She had breaks in the fifth and seventh games. Vinita took the second set at 6-3 and to level the set one-all.

Deepa, who is from Mumbai, came back into attack with vigourous ground strokes just to see her rival committing net errors. Deepa had breaks in the first, third and seventh games to claim the set at 6-1 andthe tie in her favour.

Third seed Jayalakshmi Sai India, fourth seed Orawan Wongkamalasai Thailand, fifth seed Rushmi Chakravarthi India, seventh seed Montika Anuchan Thailand and eighth seed Shruti Dhawan India all made it to the next round.

The winner of the first leg, Rushmi Chakravarthi, vanquished Jutika Chokshi India in straight sets 6-1, 6-0.

RESULTS

Womens singles: Archana Venkatraman India bt Varsha Reddy India 6-1, 6-2; Shalini Thakur India bt Non Wagh India 6-0, 6-1; Nikita Bhardwaj India bt K Subhashini India 7-5, 6-3; Rushmi Chakravarthi India bt Jutika Chokshi India 6-1, 6-0; Sai Jailakshmi India bt Sonal Marker India 6-0, 6-1; Deepa Engade India bt Vinita Dixit India 6-2, 3-6, 6-1; Pooja Deshmukh India bt Vrushali Ghavankar India 6-1, 6-1; Shruti Dhawan India bt Trishna Williams India 6-1, 6-1; Montika Anuchan Thailand bt Kasturi Bhat India 6-1, 6-2; Kamesnwari Vadali India bt Shivani Bhat India 6-2, 6-0; Nandani Perumal Indiabt Tarwinder Grover India 6-1, 6-0; Orawan Wongkamelasai Thailand bt Neeyoti Shetty India 6-1, 6-1; Janaki Krishnamurthy India bt Karishma Patel India 6-3, 6-1; Sheetal Gautam India bt Stuti Smith India 6-0, 6-0; Anna Nefedova Russia bt Priyanka Contractor India 6-0, 6-1; Aarti Venkatraman India bt Tara Kambargimath India 6-4, 6-4.