Hyderabad: Amineni Shivani is one step closer to clinching a double, qualifying for a final in one event and reaching the semifinals of another at the All India Tennis Association Talent Series tournament for under-14 and under-16 boys and girls, organised by the Surya Tennis Foundation at the Pallavi Model School Playground at Bowenpally in Secunderabad.
Shivani, seeded seventh in both the events, was in fine form.
In the under-16 semifinals, registered a come-from-behind 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 victory in a thrill-aminute match against the sixthseeded S. Rachana Reddy .
In the final, Shivani will take on the fourth seed, Shaikh Humera, also from Hyderabad.
Humera had defeated fifth seed Shaikh Tahura 6-4, 6-4 in the other semifinal.
In the girls under-14 quarterfinals, Shivani faced off against the unseeded Tatavarthy Shreya.
The match went along expected lines, with Shivani overwhelming Shreya 9-2 to book her spot in the last four stage of the tournament.
Both players began the match on an aggressive note, but it was Rachana who drew first blood.
She got the first break of serve and held on to her own to win the first set 6-4.
Shivani immediately hit back in the second, winning 6-4 to take the match into the decider.
In the third set, both girls were involved in a staring contest. It was Rachana who blinked first as Shivani won the set, and with it, the match.
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