Indian Tennis: Rutuja Bhosale wins her first title in 3 years at $15,000 ITF event

India's female tennis player Rutuja Bhosale won her first title in three years by claimining the $15,000 ITF Women's event in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt on Sunday.

Playing in her first event since the lockdown, the 24-year-old Pune girl beat Czech Republic's Anna Siskova 6-2, 7-5 in the final to claim her third career singles crown.

“It was very exciting because I had been training for months in a row and to get back on the competing side was definitely exciting,” Bhosale, world-ranked 451, said to Times of India. Bhosale, who had earlier won two singles titles in 2017, just dropped one set in the tournament - in the semifinal against Slovakian Romana Cisovka.

Bhosale had to endure the hassle of procuring a visa and a two-and-a-half days’ travel because of a flight delay in Delhi. She ended up spending 15 hours in Sharjah and a night in Cairo and travelled for about 59 hours. Instead of playing doubles, she chose to take part in the singles event.