Second seed Dalila Jakupovic beat Shrivalli Bhamidipaty 6-3, 6-2 in the final of the $25,000 ITF women’s tennis tournament at the Indore Tennis Club on Sunday.
It was the second singles title in a row for the 32-year-old Dalila following her double crown last week in Nagpur.
After Shrivalli’s fine run when she had beaten the top seed Irina Bara of Romania, Viktoria Morvayova of Slovakia, Justina Mikulskyte of Lithuania and Polina Iatcenko of Russia, dropping one set along the way, it was an anti climax for the local fans who had taken every available seat.
However, as the secretary general of All India Tennis Association (AITA), Anil Dhupar, put things in perspective during the presentation ceremony, the 22-year-old Shrivalli had been admitted in the hospital overnight with high fever, heat stroke and dehydration apart from an upset stomach. She was discharged only in the morning, and had very little time for any preparation to play the final with full energy.
In such a situation, it was brave on the part of Shrivalli to have stepped on court and make a fight of it, even though the crafty Dalila gauged her level of strength with repeated drop shots.
Within the constraints, Shrivalli did play better as the match progressed, but could not capitalise on her chances. She could convert only one of nine break points in the match.
In contrast, the experienced Dalila played sharp, moving the opponent around the court all the time, and converted five of six break points to clinch the contest in just over an hour.
It was the eighth singles title in her career for Dalila who was ranked a career high 69 in 2018. She did not drop a set in the whole tournament and conceded only 24 games in all to her five opponents.
The results (final): Dalila Jakupovic bt Shrivalli Bhamidipaty 6-3, 6-2.
