Despite tagger

Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association: It was redemption for Thailand’s Mananchaya Sawangkaew at the fifth edition of the Mumbai Open WTA 125K Series on Sunday. The 23-year-old, who finished as the runner-up in the singles draw last year, secured her maiden Mumbai Open title after overcoming 17-year-old Lilli Tagger in the finals at the Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association (MSLTA).

The Thailand player received 125 points along with her grand prize of $15,500, while the runner-up received 81 points with prize money of $8,400. Meanwhile, in the doubles section, Elena Pridankina and Polina Iatcenko were crowned champions. The doubles winners bagged 125 points with a grand prize of $6,000, while the runners-up earned 81 points with a cheque of $4,300.

It was a tense start to the singles match with neither player giving an inch in the opening set. The last season’s runner-up eventually drew first blood, managing to clinch a crucial break at 4-4, and went on to secure the first set thereafter. Despite Tagger fighting hard in the second set, the Austrian fell agonisingly short as Mananchaya prevailed 6-4, 6-3 in an hour and 25 minutes.