W50 Ourense: Ankita Raina bows out in the semifinals

Ankita Raina, India's No. 1 women's singles player, bowed out in the semifinals of the ITF event in Ourense, Spain, on Saturday.

She suffered a narrow three-set defeat to third-seeded Alina Charaeva at W50 Ourense.

The experienced Indian started strong, taking the first set 6-4.

However, she couldn't maintain her momentum and conceded the following two sets, ultimately losing the match 6-4, 4-6, 3-6 to world No. 275 Alina, who competed as a Neutral Athlete.

Before the semifinals, Ankita was in impressive form, securing her spot by upsetting top-seeded Valentina Ryser of Switzerland in a thrilling quarterfinal match, winning 3-6, 7-6, 7-6.

In the first set of the semis, Ankita showed excellent return skills, breaking Charaeva’s serve in the final game to clinch the set 6-4.

Her precise cross-court return at set point forced Charaeva to find the net.

However, the second set saw a shaky start for Ankita as she lost her serve in the opening game.

She managed to break back in the sixth game but immediately dropped her serve again, losing the set 4-6.

In the decisive third set, fatigue began to set in, but Ankita continued to fight.

Despite her efforts, she lost two consecutive breaks after six games, ultimately dropping the set 3-6 and ending her journey at the semifinal stage of the tournament.