Kashish Bhatia added more confidence to her better game as she beat Sonal Patil 6-0, 2-6, 6-3 in the final of Rs.100,000 AITA women’s tennis tournament at the Joygaon Academy on Friday.
After racing away with the first set, Kashish was unable to sustain her strong game that allowed the free-stroking Sonal to catch up.
However, Kashish took a firm grip on the proceedings in the decider, with a 3-0 lead. She did miss a bunch of match points in the eighth game, but it was more about Sonal finding the grit to fight.
Kashish eventually served out the match in the ninth game for a memorable win.
In the final last week at the same venue, Kashish had lost to Sonal in straight sets. She pointed out that her shoulder and elbow were hurting quite a bit then, and thus she could not be at her competitive best.
The title was worth Rs.12,500 and 20 ranking points. The runner-up collected Rs.8,400 and 15 points.
While Sonal would return to her coach Hemant Bendrey to train diligently for the international circuit, Kashish, who has improved commendably at the National Tennis Centre in the Capital, would be representing the champion Delhi University in the Khelo India University Games in Lucknow. She would also get to the international circuit afterwards.
The results (final): Kashish Bhatia bt Sonal Patil 6-0, 2-6, 6-3.
