Ankita crashes out of Delhi Open

New Delhi: Ankita Raina, India's numero uno singles player, crashed out of the Delhi Open following a 4-6 4-6 defeat against Ukraine's unseeded Olga Savchuk in the first round of the USD 25,000 ITF women's event, here. Olga, ranked 20 places below Ankita at 242, offered the eighth seed several chances to take control of the game with her erratic play but the Indian could not cash in on those.

It was the second meeting between the two players and Olga leads the head-to-head record 2-0. Ankita had lost to her last year in the Hong Kong event. Ankita had two break chances in the second game but squandered both. She dropped her serve in the third game on the second breakpoint when the umpire made a debatable call on an Olga return. However the Indian got the break back in the next game when Olga served her fourth double fault at 30-40.

Ankita broke the Ukrainian in the sixth game too for a 4-2 lead but lost four games in a row to hand the first set lead to Olga. The Indian struggled with her backhand and the Ukrainian proved a better player in long rallies.

Going with the momentum, Olga nosed ahead in the second set when she broke Ankita in the third game. Going for a cross court winner on the third breakpoint in that game, Ankita's forehand just landed outside the lines.

She managed to break Olga in the sixth game but dropped serve in the next to be again on the back-foot. The Ukrainian was facing a breakpoint when she committed another double fault but saved that with an ace. Ankita hit two stunning backhand winners to earn another break chance and converted it when Olga committed an unforced error. The score was 4-4.

She was very much in control of the ninth game at 40-15 but lost it, serving a double fault on the breakpoint to let Olga serve out the match in the next game.