Tennis
Rutuja Bhosale wins the W50 Lopota ITF Women's doubles title in Georgia
Rutuja Bhosale and Paige Mary Hourigan defeated Shrivalli Rashmikka Bhamidipaty and Alexandra Shubladze in the finals to lift title.
Indian tennis player Rutuja Bhosale (Source: Indian Tennis Daily)
India's Rutuja Bhosale and her New Zealand partner Paige Mary Hourigan claimed the W50 Lopota ITF Women's doubles title in Georgia on Sunday. The third-seeded Indo-Kiwi pair dominated the finals, defeating India's Shrivalli Rashmikka Bhamidipaty and Alexandra Shubladze in straight sets (6-3, 6-2).
The champions had a challenging path to the title, beginning with a hard-fought first-round victory over Iveta Dapkute and Darja Suvirdjonkova. The opening match proved to be a test of endurance as Bhosale and Hourigan prevailed 2-1 (6-3, 6(5)-7(7), 10-4) in a contest that stretched beyond two hours.
Their quarterfinal clash against the USA's Eryn Cayetano and Carol Youngsuh Lee of Northern Mariana Islands was equally grueling. After dropping the first set in a tiebreaker, the third seeds fought back to win 2-1 (6(5)-7(7), 6-3, 10-8) and secure their place in the semifinals.
The semifinal encounter saw Bhosale and Hourigan face Lina Gjorcheska of North Macedonia and Ekaterine Gorgodze. In a match lasting 1 hour and 42 minutes, the Indo-Kiwi combination displayed remarkable resilience to win 2-0 (7(8)-6(6), 6-3), setting up an all-Indian final against Bhamidipaty and her Georgian partner Shubladze.
In the championship match, Bhosale and Hourigan saved their most commanding performance for last, securing a comfortable straight-sets victory to claim the W50 Lopota ITF Women's doubles title.
