Players from 10 countries in fray in ITF World Women's Tour event; Sharmada, Suhita get wildcards

Bengaluru: Players from as many as ten countries including hosts India will be seen in action at the spruced-up clay courts for the Bowring Institute ITF World Women's Tour event, which kicks off with the first qualifying round on Sunday.

With a competitive field comprising some of the best players, the tennis buffs are in for a feast of high-quality tennis action in the event with a total prize purse of US $25,000.

As many as six Indians – Rutuja Bhosale, Vaidehi Chaudhari, Pranjala Yadlapalli, Zeel Desai, Shrivalli Rashmikaa Bhamidipaty, and Humera Baharmus – are a part of the 20 players who have earned a direct entry in the main draw of 32. The rest of the 12 spots will be filled up by eight qualifiers and four wild cards.

Karnataka’s top player Sharmada Balu and the promising Suhitha Maruri have been given wildcards along with Anjali Rathi and Sahira Singh. The wildcards for the qualifying include Vidhyalakshmi S, Sai Janvi, Sanjitha Ramesh (all Karnataka), Lakshmi Prabha and Sejal Gopal Bhutada.

The Bowring Institute has long been a bastion of tennis tradition, having witnessed thrilling matches and iconic moments on its courts with players like Ramanathan Krishnan, Joydeep Mukherjea, former World No.1 Ilie Nastase and former singles top-10 tennis player Ion Tiriac (who became so rich that he opened a bank), amongst others treading the soils of Bowring Institute.

Sunil Yajaman, Tournament Director and Hon. Jt. Secretary of the Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association (KSLTA) said: "We sincerely thank Bowring Institute for taking up the responsibility to host the ITF Women’s 25,000 prize money event and we are extremely happy that Bowring Institute, which has a rich tennis history, is again back on the Global Tennis Map. I thank the Hon. Secretary HS Srikanth and the entire team who have made some amazing arrangements for the players.”

Emphasizing the significance of hosting international events in the country and especially Karnataka, Yajaman said: “We have taken a conscious decision to activate the various districts in Karnataka which will not only put them on the world tennis map but allow our players to earn valuable ATP points. We are proud to say that we are hosting six ITF events and one ATP Challenger event in a span of just five months.”