Sejal Bhutada sustained a strong game to beat the fifth seed Sharmada Balu 6-4, 6-2 in the women’s quarterfinals of the Fenesta National tennis championship at the DLTA Complex on Wednesday.
The 14-year-old Sejal, ranked a modest 3290 in the world among juniors, and a trainee of coach Hemant Bendrey in Pune, played fearless, unmindful of the reputation of her 30-year-old opponent in setting up a quarterfinal against fourth seed Vaishnavi Adkar.
“Nothing worked for me today”, said Sharmada, who has been focusing on the doubles with considerable success in the international circuit.
