Tennis

Amelia Honer Triumphs in Bakersfield ITF QuarterfinalsAmerican tennis star Amelia Honer has advanced to the semifinals of the $25,000 ITF women's tournament in Bakersfield, USA, after a hard-fought victory over Sahaja Yamalapalli.Honer, the tournament's top seed, faced a stern challenge from Yamalapalli in the quarterfinals. The Indian player took the first set in a tiebreaker, but Honer rallied back to win the next two sets 6-2, 6-2.The victory marks Honer's second consecutive win in the tournament. In the pre-quarterfinals, she defeated Makenna Jones of the United States in three sets.In the semifinals, Honer will face Eryn Cayetano of the United States, who defeated Rutuja Bhosale of India in straight sets.Other Notable Results:* In the men's $25,000 ITF tournament in Kampala, Uganda, Corentin Denolly of France defeated Dev Javia of India in the quarterfinals.* In the doubles final of the same tournament, Guy Iradukunda of Burundi and Aziz Ouakaa of Tunisia defeated Noah Schachter of the United States and Niitn Kumar Sinha of India.* In the $15,000 ITF men's tournament in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, Egor Agafonov and Ilia Simakin of Russia defeated Yurii Dzhavakian of Ukraine and Sidharth Rawat of India in the doubles semifinals.

Sahaja Yamalapalli's bid for a title at the $60,000 ITF women's tennis tournament in Evansville, USA, ended in heartbreak as she narrowly missed out on victory in the quarterfinals. The Indian player fought valiantly but ultimately fell short against Iryna Shymanovich of Belarus, losing 5-7, 6-2, 7-6(6) in a grueling three-hour and eight-minute contest.Yamalapalli started the match strongly, taking the first set 7-5. However, Shymanovich responded with a dominant second set, winning 6-2. The third set was a rollercoaster of emotions, with both players trading breaks and holding serve. Yamalapalli had three match points at 6-3 in the tie-breaker, but Shymanovich showed remarkable resilience to win the next five points and secure the victory.Despite the disappointing result, Yamalapalli can take solace in her strong performance in the doubles event. She and her Japanese partner, Hiroko Kuwata, reached the final, where they will face the American duo of Sophie Chang and Catherine Harrison.In other news from the tournament, Prarthana Thombare of India also advanced to the doubles final in Portugal, partnering with Arianne Hartono of the Netherlands.

The Maha Urja $25,000 ITF women's tennis tournament, set to commence on Tuesday at the MSLTA Academy in Ramnagar, will witness the participation of Sahaja Yamalapalli as the sole Indian seed. Ranked fifth, Yamalapalli will face Vaidehi Chaudhari in her opening match. She is placed in the third quarter alongside fourth seed Diana Marcinkevica.In the absence of India's top player Ankita Raina, who is competing in the Petroleum tennis tournament in Delhi, the Indian challenge will be led by national champion Shrivalli Bhamidipaty. Bhamidipaty will begin her campaign against qualifier Anastasia Zolotareva. Zeel Desai will take on Akiko Omae of Japan in her first-round match.Akanksha Nitture displayed remarkable resilience in the qualifying rounds, saving six match points in the super tie-break to defeat Joel Nichole 14-12. Her reward is a first-round encounter with top seed Irina Maria Bara of Romania.Other Indian players who have qualified for the main draw include Anjali Rathi, Vaishnavi Adkar, Humera Baharmus, and Soha Sadiq. Wild cards have been awarded to Sowjanya Bavisetti, Maithili Mothe, Sonall Patil, and Sejal Bhutada.The tournament will provide a stern test for the Indian players, who will face a strong contingent of foreign competitors. The seedings for the tournament are as follows:1. Irina Maria Bara (Rou)2. Dalila Jakupovic (Slo)3. Justina Mikulskyte (Ltu)4. Diana Marcinkevica (Lat)5. Sahaja Yamalapalli6. Fanny Ostlund (Swe)7. Miriana Tona (Ita)8. Thasaporn Naklo (Tha)