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Seveenteen-year-old Karman Kaur Thandi played top class tennis to oust US based Kanika Vaidya in straight sets 6-4, 6-4 to move into the last 16 of the RGUHS ITF Kalaburagi Open here on Monday. The battle between the two foreign based players drew a goodly crowd expecting a tight battle. But the World No 778, a resident of Toronto, Canada was clearly streets ahead with her game in comparison to Kanika who seemed out of sorts.

Karman served with power and her returns at times brooked no reply from Kanika. The tall and lanky Karman broke Kanika in the fifth game with some great determination. Trailing love-40 on Kanika’s serve, Karman snatched five points in a row with some amazing tennis to claim the break. She held serves like a Pro to clinch the first set.

The second set saw Kanika breaking Karman in the second game with the Canadian resident committing too many unforced errors. Just when it seemed that the match would witness a decider, Karman stormed back into the contest breaking Kanika in the third and fifth games while ensuring she held serves to move into the next round where she awaits the winner of the contest between top seed Prerna Bhambri of India and Xi-Yao Wang of China.

Meanwhile four seeds, No 2, Natasha Palha, No. 4 Prarthna Thombare (Ind), No 6 seed Nidhi Chilumula (Ind) and No 8 Riya Bhatia breezed into the second round with comfortable victories over their respective opponents. Thombare ousted wild card entrant Abinikka Renganathan 7-5, 6-2 and Chilumula bested qualifier Simran Kejriwal 6-1, 6-0. Natasha puffed out Sai Dedeepya Yeddula 6-1, 6-1 and Riya, who made the final of last week’s tournament, sent out Thailand’s Plobrung Plipuech 7-6 (8), 6-2.

Results: (Prefix denotes seedings):.

Singles 1st round: (All Indians unless mentioned): Karman Kaur Thandi bt Kanika Vaidya 6-4, 6-4; Anusha Kondavetti bt Preethi Ujjini 6-4, 6-4; Aastha Dargude bt He Chun-Yan (Chn) 7-5, 2-6, 6-2; (4) Prarthana G Thombare bt (WC)Abinikka Renganathan 7-5, 6-2;(6) Nidhi Chilumula bt (Q) Simran Kejriwal 6-1, 6-0; Ram Moulika bt Soha Sadiq 6-7 (8), 6-1, 6-3; (8) Riya Bhatia b Plobrung Plipuech (Tha) 7-6 (8); 6-2; Tamachan Momkoonthod (Tha) bt Pragati Solankar 6-1, 6-0.

Doubles: Round of 16: (3) Prerna Bhambri / Kanika Vaidya bt Anusha Kondaveeti / Sweta Nalekala 6-1, 6-1; (4) Druthi Tatachar Venugopal / Karman Kaur Thandi bt Varunya Chandrasekhar / Simran KKejriwal 6-0, 6-2; Sai Samhitha Chamarthi / He Chun-Yan (Chn) bt Sneha Padamata / Moulika Ram 6-2, 4-6, 12-10; Abinikka Renganathan / Soha Sadiq bt Dakshata Girishkumar Patel / Sai Dedeepya Yeddula 7-6 (3), 6-3.