Last month, Vaishnavi had finished as runner-up in Bengaluru after becoming the first Indian woman to reach the final of a W100 or higher level tournament since Sania Mirza in 2009.
In-form Vaishnavi Adkar clinched the second and so far, the biggest title of her career as she defeated Ankita Raina in an all-Indian final at the W35 ITF event in Kalaburagi, Karnataka, on Sunday.
A day after winning the doubles title, the two players battled hard for two hours and 14 minutes before the 33-year-old Ankita went down 7-6(3), 6-4 to Vaishnavi, 12 years her junior.
“It was a very good week for me, conditions were very tough and I just feel proud that I was able to push till the last match in these conditions. Since I was a kid, I have seen Ankita play at a high level. So, competing with her, playing doubles with her is a very big thing. I knew that she doesn’t leave the match till the last point. So, I just had to keep fighting at every point and I was able to do that,” Vaishnavi said after her victory.
It was a topsy-turvy affair involving as many as 15 break of serves.
Vaishnavi failed to close the opener at 6-5 despite having a set point on her serve. Nevertheless, the youngster dominated the tiebreak to take the lead in the contest.
Leading 4-2 in the second set, Vaishnavi seemed to have put some daylight between herself and Ankita. However, Ankita, playing her first final in three years, fought back to equalise.
But Vaishnavi would not be denied as she broke Ankita to love to clinch the title.
Last month, Vaishnavi, who hails from Pune, had finished as runner-up in Bengaluru after becoming the first Indian woman to reach the final of a W100 or higher level tournament since Sania Mirza in 2009.
With her triumph in Kalaburagi, World No. 464 Vaishnavi earned USD 4,860 and 35 ranking points. In the live rankings, she has risen to a new career-high of 396, just three places below India’s No. 1 Sahaja Yamalapalli.
Vaishnavi and Ankita have both been named in India’s squad for the upcoming Billie Jean King Cup Asia-Oceania tournament, set to be held next month in New Delhi.
source/content: sportstar.thehindu.com (headline edited)