Shrivalli rallies to beat Rutuja

Will play fifth seed Uzbekistan’s Abduraimova in round two

National champion Shrivalli Bhamidipaty recovered from being down 6-0, 3-1 to beat Rutuja Bhosale 0-6, 6-4, 6-0 in the first round of the NECC $25,000 ITF women’s tennis tournament at the Deccan Gymkhana on Tuesday.

The 20-year-old, who had to come through the qualifying event, was playing 25-year-old Rutuja for the first time in the professional circuit. A player with an all-round explosive game, Shrivalli had the confidence to arrest the trend against a quality player and turn the tide in her favour.

In the second round, Shrivalli will play fifth seed Nigina Abduraimova of Uzbekistan, who dismissed So-Ra Lee of Korea for the loss of four games.