Quarterfinalist bottom half, Hungary's second seed Panna Udvardy

JANUARY 17, 2025: India’s top singles player Ankita Raina put herself in title contention in the doubles event of the ITF W50 event on Friday along with British partner Naiktha Bains after pipping an all-Indian team of Riya Bhatia and Vaidehi Chaudhary at DLTA Complex .

Ankita, who made a first-round exit in the singles, and Naiktha prevailed 6-2 6-4 over their rivals in the semifinals.

Ankita and Naikhta had last played a final together in November 2024 in Caloundra, Australia, where they ended as runners-up at the ITF W50 event.

If Ankita wins on Saturday, it will be her first doubles title of the 2025 season and first since her triumph at the Kashiwa event in Japan in April, last year when she had partnered Taipei’s Chia Yi Tsao.

In the singles event, Latvian top-seeded Darja Semenistaja and seventh-seeded Tatiana Prozorova set up the top-half semifinal with easy victories.

Darja outplayed Anastasia Tikhonova 6-1 6-3 in the quarterfinal, while Tatiana ended the impressive run of qualifier Maria Kozyreva 6-1 6-1 in her match.

From the bottom half, Hungary’s second seed Panna Udvardy used all her experience to overcome very talented Laura Samson 4-6 6-1 6-4 in a close quarterfinal.

She will now fight out for a place in the final with British fourth seed Yuriko Lilly Miyazaki, who ousted sixth seed Slovanian Dalila Jakupovic 6-1 6-3 in her quarterfinal.