Top seed Ankita Bhambri of India lived up to her reputation and fashioned an impressive 6-2, 5-7, 6-1 victory over qualifier Ito Kazusa of Japan in an exciting championship round to win the Shivaji Park Gymkhana-ITF $10,000 Women's Tennis Tournament, that concluded on Saturday.
Bhambri warmed up for her Federation Cup campaign with her maiden title in Mumbai, in a match that lasted one hour and 33 minutes. Her last three matches ended in three-setters and that pattern trailed her to the title round when she won the final set rather comfortably.
The Indian got off to a dream start when she romped home in the first set to put Kazusa under early pressure. But the Japanese lass, who made her way to the final from the qualifying round, remained unfazed. Featuring in her maiden final in the sub continent, a determined Kazusa came back into the match and earned a crucial break to take the second set and force the decider.
Kazusa surprised the aggressive Bhambri by breaking the Indian in the opening game of the third set to keep her hopes alive. But Bhambri, who enjoyed good form in the competition after a shaky start, broke back immediately to level at 1-all.
Bhambri set the stage for an absorbing contest as Kazusa, needing just a break, was still in the game even after trailing 1-3. Bhambri earned a significant break in the fourth game after capitalising on Kazusa's unforced errors, to rest on a comfortable 4-1 cushion. After holding serve in the fifth, Bhambri broke again in the sixth to leave a helpless Kazusa no room for a recovery.
"Kazusa played well especially at the end of the second set when I was slow and lost breaks at crucial moments. She was slow in the first while I was quick, which helped me take the first set. The break in the fourth game of the third set, that helped me go 3-1 up, turned the match in my favour," explained Bhambri.
The Delhi girl earned $1568 and six points, while Kazusa received $980 and four points.
The next leg will be held in Chennai, where the main draw will commence from Monday.
