Top seed Keren Shlomo of Israel survived several anxious moments before overcoming Indian qualifier Kyra Shroff and making the second round in the $10,000 CCI ITF women's tennis tournament in Mumbai on Tuesday.
Shlomo, who at No 396 is the highest ranked player in the competition, rallied splendidly after the loss of the first set to beat the Mumbai-based Shroff 2-6, 6-2, 6-1.
Shroff made a bright start, breaking Shlomo's serve in the first game and then served well to take control.
She again stunned the Israel player by breaking her serve in the seventh game before holding in the next to take the opening set.
However, the Indian let her opponent off the hook in the second set by playing some bad shots, which proved costly. Shlomo grabbed her chances to turn things in her favour. With breaks in the second and eighth games, she went on to win the second set and take the match into the decider.
The 24-year-old Israeli continued to call the shots in the third set and came up with breaks in the second and sixth games to pocket the set and match in an hour and 44 minutes.
Nidhi Chilumula was the lone Indian to progress to the second round. She dropped the first set, but came back strongly in the next two to put it across qualifier Seda Arantekin of Turkey, winning at 2-6, 6-2, 6-2.
Three other Indians, Perna Bhambri, qualifier Rushmi Chakravarthi and wild carder Sri Vaishnavi Peddi Reddy, all crashed out in the first round.
Results:
Singles (1st round): Nidhi Chilumula (Ind) beat Seda Arantekin (Tur) 2-6, 6-2, 6-2; 5-Peangtarn Plipuech (Tha) beat Michaela Frlicka (Ger) 6-4, 6-3; 7-Jovana Jaksic (Srb) beat Rushmi Chakravarthi (Ind) 6-2, 6-2; 1-Keren Shlomo (Isr) beat Kyra Shroff (Ind) 2-6, 6-2, 6-1; 4-Melis Sezer (Tur) beat Jeannine Prentner (Aut) 6-4, 1-6, 6-2; Varunya Wongteanchai (Tha) beat Prerna Bhambri (Ind) 6-1, 6-1; 8-Nicole Clerico (Ita) beat Verena Schmid (Ger) 7-5, 5-7, 6-4; Nungnadda Wannasuk (Tha) beat Sri Vaishnavi Peddi Reddy (Ind) 6-4, 6-1; 3-Agnese Zucchini (Ita) beat Barbara Luz (Por) 6-3, 6-2; Stephanie Scimone (Ita) beat Karoline Kurz (Aut) 0-6, 6-2, 6-4; Sarah-Rebecca Sekulic (Ger) beat Anja Prislan (Slo) 6-3, 6-4; Tamara Curovic (Srb) beat 2-Dalila Jakupovic (Slo) 3-0 (retired due to illness).
