Pune: Prerna Bhambri kept the Indian flag flying by entering the singles quarter-finals of the NECC-ITF women's USD 25,000 event at Deccan Gymkhana here today but three of her compatriots made their exits.
Delhi girl Bhambri played some flawless tennis to whip an erratic Peangtarn Plipuech of Thailand in straight sets. Plipuech's gave glimpses of a fight when she broke the Indian in the fifth game of the first set but Bhambri broke back promptly and then again in the 10th game, to win the set 6-4.
The second set was totally one-sided as Bhambri didn't drop a single game on her way to a clash against Kazakhstan's Kamila Kerimbayeva for a berth in the semis. But three other Indian women were eliminated.
Mumbai's girl Snehadevi Reddy had no answers to the power of Thailand's Nungnadda Wanasuk, losing 1-6 0-6. Sowjanya Bavisetti, another qualifier who had made it to the second round, was outplayed 6-2 6-2 by top seed Magda Linette while Sharmada Balu, also a qualifier, was defeated by third seed Diana Marcinkevica of Latvia 6-4 6-0.
Balu-Bavisetti ended the day on a better note though, as they paired up to beat fourth seeds Tamara Curovic/Diana Marcinkevica 6-7 (1-7) 6-3 10-8 in the doubles quarter-finals.
It was another solid outing for qualifiers Rika Fujiwara from Japan and Keren Shlomo of Israel as they both made it to the last eight.
Results: Singles (2nd round): Magda Linette (Pol) [1] Bt Sowjanya Bavisetti (Ind) 6-2 6-2; Rika Fujiwara (Jpn) Bt Oksana Kalashnikova (Geo) [6] 3-0 Retd; Diana Marcinkevica (Lat) [3] Bt Sharmada Balu (Ind) 6-4 6-0; Nungnadda Wannasuk (Tha) Bt Snehadevi S Reddy (Ind) 6-1 6-0; Keren Shlomo (Isr) Bt Miyabi Inoue (Jpn) 6-3 6-2; Gioia Barbieri (Ita) [4] Bt Anna Shkudun (Ukr) 6-3 6-2; Prerna Bhambri (Ind) Bt Peangtarn Plipuech (Tha) 6-4 6-0; Kamila Kerimbayeva (Kaz) Bt Nicha Lertpitaksinchai (Tha) 5-7 7-5 6-0.
