Champion Vaidehi Chowdhary. , Photo credit: Kamesh Srinivasan
Second seed Vaidehi Chowdhary defeated top seed Ksenia Laskutova 7-5, 6-4 to clinch the title in the $15,000 ITF women’s tennis tournament at the City Center Tennis Complex in Gwalior on Sunday.
There was applause from the spectators as the match heated up, with Vaidehi coming back from 1-4 down and facing a set-point at 3-5 to make it a straight-forward affair.
It was her first singles title on the professional circuit for Vaidehi, who won her first doubles title with Laskutova on Saturday.
Much appreciated by the 26-year-old Laskutova, she put things into perspective at the presentation ceremony as she called Vaidehi “my doubles partner, rival and friend”, despite being hurt by the loss after playing so well.
After winning the national women’s title in October, the 22-year-old Vaidehi has really improved her game. As the match progressed, she was quite composed and displayed great concentration, playing sensibly to the demands of the position to trouble the Russian player.
Vaidehi said, “I am very happy to win the double crown here”, even as she acknowledged the stellar role of her long-time coach Jignesh Raval and parents.
“I had lost a few singles and doubles finals earlier. I was confident coming into this tournament and determined to give my best. I am happy with the way I played the final, especially with my return of serve. At 2-5, I stopped worrying about winning or losing and tried to play solidly on every point. This was the biggest advantage of this match. In the second set, when it was up and down, I managed to stay calm and play strong”, said Vaidehi.
Vaidehi converted five out of 11 break points in the match while Laskutova converted three out of eight break points. The Russian player used to ruminate on her mistakes and it didn’t help her.
I will try to do well in the upcoming $40,000 and $15,000 tournaments. I want to join the Indian team for the Billie Jean King Cup,” said Vaidehi.
Result (Final): Vaidehi Chowdhary defeated Ksenia Laskutova 7-5, 6-4.