Two years after winning her one and only main draw win, India’s Isha Lakhani is back, back to kick-start her career. The KSLTA, the organisers of the $600,000 Bangalore Open, awarded the second wild card to the 22-year-old southpaw.
The 349th-ranked Isha was delighted about getting the wild card. “I’m extremely ecstatic about playing at the Bangalore Open. It’s an honour to be part of the country’s first Tier II extravaganza,” said Isha. The WTA Tour event gets under way on Monday.
“This is an excellent opportunity for me to play with some of the top players of the world. I look forward to playing some tough tennis.”
Meanwhile, five Indians figure in the singles qualifying draw. Bhambri sisters, Sanaa and Ankita, Akshitha Basavaraju, Rushmi Chakravarthi and Sunitha Rao are in the fray in the 32-player draw. The final four make it to the main draw.
American Neha Uberoi will take on Monica Niculescu of Romania in the first round.
The line-up (Indians only): Sanaa Bhambri vs Monique Adamczak (Aus); Ankita Bhambri vs Kathrin Woerle Ger); Akshitha Basavaraju vs Tiantian Sun (Chn); Rushmi Chakravarthi vs Junri Namigata (Jpn); Sunitha Rao vs Vesna Manasieva (Rus).
