Rising star Vaishnavi Adkar among Indians to feature in ITF W35 Kalaburagi next week

Kalaburagi (Karnataka), Feb 25 (PTI) Rising star Vaishnavi Adkar will be among a host of Indian players to feature in the ITF W35 Kalaburagi, the biggest international women’s tennis tournament to be held here, from March 1 to 8.

The USD 30,000 tournament, part of the ITF Women's World Tennis Tour, marks the city’s first-ever ITF W35-level women's professional event.

The tournament to be played at the Chandrashekar Patil Stadium will feature a 32-player singles main draw, preceded by a 32-player qualifying event beginning on March 1, along with a 16-team doubles draw. Main draw matches will commence on March 3.

As an ITF W35-category event, it offers valuable ranking points and an important opportunity for players aspiring to progress to higher-tier competitions, including the WTA Tour.

The event has attracted a competitive international field from 11 countries, including Thailand's Achisa Chanta (WR 443) and Netherlands' Jasmijn Gimbrere (WR 431).

There is also a strong Indian presence in the singles main draw led by Vaishnavi, who recently climbed to India’s No. 2 and made history at last week’s ITF Women’s Open W100 in Bengaluru. She became the first Indian woman since Sania Mirza in 2009 to reach an ITF W100 level or higher singles final.

She is joined by Shrivalli Rashmikaa Bhamidipaty and Ankita Raina, both of whom also delivered impressive performances last week in Bengaluru. Also featuring in the main draw are Zeel Desai, Akanksha Dileep Nitture, Shruti Ahlawat and Sonal Patil.

The city has previously staged ITF Women’s USD 10,000 events in 2012 and two successive editions in 2015. PTI PDS PDS KHS KHS