Vaishnavi Adkar in action during the ITF W35 women’s tennis tournament at the Chandrashekar Patil Stadium in Kalaburagi on March 3, 2026.
| Photo Credit: ARUN KULKARNI
India’s third seed Vaishnavi Adkar headlined the opening day of the ITF W35 women’s tennis tournament in Kalaburagi with a clinical straight-sets victory over Indian wildcard Chevika Reddy Sama on March 3. The tournament with $30,000 in prize money is part of the ITF Women’s World Tennis Tour.
Adkar defeated fellow Indian wildcard Chevika Reddy Sama 6-0, 6-3 in the first-round singles match. She dominated the opening set, racing to a 4-0 lead and sealing it 6-0 with aggressive baseline play and a flurry of winners. Though Sama attempted a comeback in the second set and even secured an early break, Adkar quickly regained control, producing timely winners to close out the match 6-3 and book her place in the second round.
Earlier, qualifier Laxmisiri Dandu put up a spirited fight against Japan’s seventh seed Michika Ozeki. Dandu stunned her higher-ranked opponent by taking the first set 6-4. However, Ozeki bounced back strongly to claim the next two sets 6-1, 6-0 and advance to the next round.
In other singles matches, Israel’s Maayan Laron overpowered India’s Amodini Naik (wildcard) 6-0, 6-1, while Uzbekistan’s Milana Maslenkova edged Germany’s Anastasiya Kuparev in a closely fought contest. Sofia Suslova registered a hard-fought three-set win over Ekaterina Yashina, and Sofia Martianova defeated Indian qualifier Arunkumar Lakshmi Prabha in straight sets. Thailand’s second seed Anchisa Chanta progressed comfortably with a 6-2, 6-0 victory over Great Britain’s Allegra Korpanec Davies.
The doubles competition also commenced with competitive encounters. The Indo-Dutch top-seeded pair of Shrivalli Rashmikaa Bhamidipaty and Jasmijn Gimbrere advanced with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Thailand’s Anchisa Chanta and Thasaporn Naklo. The Indian duo of Akanksha Dileep Nitture and Soha Sadiq secured a thrilling win in a super tie-break against Allegra Korpanec Davies and Eva Marie Desvignes, prevailing 6-2, 5-7, [11-9]. Evgeniya Burdina and Sofia Martianova defeated Kashish Bhatia and Vanshita Pathania 6-3, 6-4.
With seeded players asserting their authority and Indian contenders delivering determined performances, the tournament is set for further excitement, with Shrivalli Rashmikaa Bhamidipaty, Ankita Raina and Zeel Desai scheduled to feature in upcoming singles matches.
Karnataka’s RDPR Minister Priyank Kharge plays a shot after flagging off the ITF W35 women’s tennis tournament at the Chandrashekar Patil Stadium in Kalaburagi on March 3, 2026.
| Photo Credit:
ARUN KULKARNI
The tournament was flagged off by Karnataka’s Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister and Kalaburagi district In-charge Priyank Kharge in the presence of Medical Education Minister Dr. Sharan Prakash Patil and other dignitaries at the Chandrashekar Patil Stadium in Kalaburagi.
Among those present were MLCs Tippannappa Kamaknoor, Jagdev Guttedar and Sashil G. Namoshi, Deputy Commissioner Fouzia Taranum, Police Commissioner S.D. Sharanappa, Zilla Panchayat CEO Bhanwar Singh Meena, city corporation Commissioner Shinde Avinash Sanjeevan, and Superintendent of Police Aduru Srinivasalu.
Published – March 04, 2026 12:00 pm IST
